'EX_LlBKISUNIVERSITfOFCALIFORNIAfO 


JOHN  HENRY  NASH  LIBRARY 

<$>  SAN  FRANCISCO  <§> 

PRESENTED  TO  THE 

UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA 

ROBERT  GORDON  SPROUL,  PRESIDENT. 
<$>   BY  + 

MR.ANDMRS.MILTON  S.RAY 

CECILY,  VIRGINIA  AND  ROSALYN  RAY 

AND  THE 

RAY  OIL  BURNER  COMPANY 


o 


The  Princess  of  Manoa 


"  She  tripped  on  over  the 

springy  grass,  singing  in  a  voice 

that  sounded  at  times  like  the 

sweetest  whisper  of  the  wind, 

and  again  like  the  gentle 

patter  of  raindrops." 


The 

Princess  of  Manoa 

and  Other  Romantic 

Tales  from  the  Folk-lore  of 

Old  Hawaii 

by  Mrs.  Frank  R.  Day 

Illustrated  by  D.  Howard  Hitchcock 

Let  us  still  honor  the  romance  of 
youth,  whether  it  be  the  child- 
dreams  of  the  present  or  the 
race -visions  of  the  past.  It  is 
leaven  to  the  world's  wisdom. 


Paul  Elder  and  Company 
San  Francisco  and  New  York 


Copyright,  1906,  by 
Paul  Elder  and  Company 


To  Pomander's  "History  of 
the  Polynesian  Islands/'  to  Mr. 
Dagget's  "Hawaiian  Myths" 
and  to  various  native  friends 
are  due  the  thanks  for  the  in- 
cidents of  the  following  tales. 


List  of  Chapters 

Page 

The  Princess  of  Manoa     -  1 

The  Well  of  Last  Resource  -    12 

A  King's  Ransom       -  -    20 

The  Story  of  the  Eight  Islands  32 

The  Forest  of  Haina  Kolo  40 

The  Magic  Arrow      -  -    49 

The  Island  of  Demons  -    61 

The  Maid  of  the  Twilight  -    70 

The  Culprit  Star                                     -  -         -         -79 


List  of  Illustrations 


"  She  tripped  on  over  the  springy  grass,  singing  in  a  voice  that 
sounded  at  times  like  the  sweetest  whisper  of  the  wind, 
and  again  like  the  gentle  patter  of  raindrops."  Frontispiece 

"A   swift   flight  in   the   cloud-chariot    of    Hine,    spirit   of  the 

rain-clouds."  Opp.  4 

"Stretching  out  his  arms  with  his  palms  turned  upwards,  he 

prayed  to  the  Great  Spirit"  -       Opp.  16 

"  This  alone  I  offer,  without  canoe,  or  spear,  or  treasure  of  any 

kind."  -       Opp.  28 

"On  and  on  it  sped,  without  sail  or  paddle,  the  prow  always 

to  the  north."      -  -       Opp.  36 

"Then  two  fishermen  of  the  queen  suddenly  came  upon 
the  child  in  the  fern-lined  nest.  .  .  .  'This  is  strange  fish 
to  come  out  of  the  sea. ' '  -  Opp.  44 

"Hiku  bounded  to  the  edge  of  a  cliff  overhanging  the  valley, 

and  peered  eagerly  over  the  brink."  -       Opp.  52 

"In  the  morning  the  misty  outline  of  Lanai  lay  leagues  to 
the  east,  .  .  .  the  wind  had  blown  them  past  the  island 
and  out  to  sea."  -  Opp.  64 

"The  pool  looked  dark  and  treacherous,  but  calling  to  the  gods 

to    help    him,  he    leaped    to    the    slimy    bottom."     -       Opp.  76 

"  Half-strangled  with  deadly  vapor,  panting  with  fear,  they  ran,  a 

sinuous  stream  of  living  fire  sweeping  after  them."  -       Opp.  80 


Vll 


The  Princess  of  Manoa 


F  ALL  the  little  valleys  that  cut 
into  the  mountain  range  of  old 
Oahu  on  its  southern  slope,  that 
of  Manoa  is  the  most  beautiful. 
It  cleaves  the  very  heart  of  the  hills 
where  the  peaks  are  highest,— 
where  they  are  so  high  that  the 
white  clouds  slip  down  over  their 
heads  and  look,  for  all  the  world, 
like  the  white  ruffled  cap  of  an 
old-fashioned  grandmother.  It  is  always  cool  and 
fresh,  for  the  wind,  tempered  in  the  shadows  of 
the  cliffs,  sings  through  a  pass  in  the  mountains, 
and,  catching  the  clouds  at  rest,  whirls  them 
away  out  to  sea,  dropping  rain  in  sudden  showers 
on  the  valley. 

It  was  at  the  head  of  this  valley  that  long  ages 
ago  Hine,  spirit  of  the  rain-clouds,  and  Kani,  her 
husband,  who  was  god  of  the  winds,  came  to  live. 
They  had  one  child,  Kaha,  a  young  maid  whom 
all  the  gods  loved,  and  whom  the  great  and  pow- 
erful god  of  the  sea  had  asked  for,  to  be  the  wife 
of  his  son,  Kauhi,  prince  of  the  sea.  But  Kaha 
was  only  a  happy  sprite  who  cared  not  the  least 
for  Kauhi,  but  who  loved  best  of  all  a  swift  flight 
in  the  cloud-chariot  of  Hine,  when,  driven  by  the 
winds  of  Kani,  it  skimmed  over  the  shining  green 
earth  and  far  out  above  the  blue  ocean.  It  was 
such  fun  to  spy  out  the  little  grass  huts  of  the 
earth-folk,  and  pour  down  swift  gusts  of  rain,  just 
to  see  the  people  scurry  to  shelter. 


The  Princess  of  Manoa 


One  day,  however,  scudding  so  low  that  the 
clouds  almost  caught  the  tree  tops,  they  met  a 
breeze  just  in  from  the  sea,  and  stopped  a  moment 
above  a  group  of  young  earth-folk  who  were  drag- 
ging their  sleds  up  a  long,  smooth,  grassy  hill,  and 
making  the  walls  of  the  valley  ring  with  their 
laughter. 

"Oh,  wait,  mother,  wait!  I  must  see  what 
they  are  going  to  do!"  she  begged 

"Not  now,  dear,  we  will  spoil  their  sport  if 
we  stay.  See,  their  sleds  are  wet  already." 

As  they  passed  on,  a  wild  shout  came  up  to 
them  from  below,  and  the  little  air  princess,  look- 
ing back  wistfully,  saw  the  whole  merry  company 
speeding,  with  the  swiftness  of  the  wind  itself, 
down  the  slope  in  the  bright  sunshine;  and  for  the 
first  time  she  felt  that  she  was— well,  she  did  not 
know  exactly  what,  it  was  so  new  a  sensation,  but 
somewhere  inside  of  her  there  was  a  queer  place 
that  felt  like  a  hole. 

Many  times  after  that  she  caught  distant 
glimpses  of  them,  but  one  day  she  pleaded  so  hard 
that  Hine  stopped  her  chariot  above  the  hill  where 
the  earth-people  were  eagerly  discussing  the  fine 
points  of  the  young  chief's  new  sled  Down 
poured  the  rain,  quenching  their  laughter  and 
drenching  their  sleds,  while  their  brown  shoulders 
shone  in  the  wet  like  polished  bronze. 

What  happened  next  made  the  air-child  know 
that  there  was  something  within  her  that  had 
never  been  there  before,  for  the  young  chie£ 


The  Princess  of  Manoa 


throwing  back  his  fine  head  until  his  eyes  looked 
straight  up  into  Kaha's— though  that  he  did  not 
know— shook  his  clenched  fist  at  the  cloud;  and 
then,  startled  at  his  own  daring,  turned  and  sped 
to  cover  after  his  companions.  Poor  little  Kaha! 
She  had  just  been  thinking  how  much  finer  he 
looked  than  Kauhi  who  wanted  to  marry  her 
some  day. 

Back  in  her  home  on  the  high  mountain  peak, 
there  was  still  something  so  odd  about  Kaha's  eyes 
that  the  air-people  asked  what  had  happened 
Hine  knew,  and  wisely  said  nothing ;  but  she  took 
Kaha  and  retired  to  the  other  side  of  the  great 
mountain,  and  for  a  long  time  the  little  valley  of 
Manoa  parched  in  the  hot  tropical  sun,  and  the 
waterfalls,  that  had  always  been  so  noisy  and  rol- 
licking as  they  leaped  from  the  rocks,  shrank  to 
tiny  streams  and  almost  dried  up.  The  air  was 
so  still  that  not  a  leaf  in  all  the  valley  stirred ;  the 
heat  rose  in  blue  crinkles  even  to  the  tops  of  the 
cocoanut  trees,  and  the  earth-folk  went  about 
slowly  with  heavy  eyes  and  parted  lips. 

But  the  other  side  of  the  great  peaks  was  dark 
and  dreary.  Kaha  missed  the  sunshine ;  she  shiv- 
ered in  the  damp  mountain  shadows  and  grew 
listless  and  sad  The  air-folk  gathered  together 
and  told  their  wildest  tales  to  amuse  her;  but 
though  she  tried  hard  to  please  them,  her  pitiful 
little  mouth  would  droop  instead  of  smile.  Some- 
times she  did  not  even  hear  them — so  intently  was 
she  listening  for  some  sound  from  the  valley. 


The  Princess  of  Manoa 


Then  one  day  a  wonderful  thing  happened! 
She  was  sitting  on  a  high  rock  looking  longingly 
down  into  Manoa  when  a  great  cloud,  dense  and 
dark,  gathered  about  her,  shutting  her  in  alone, 
and  blotting  out  the  sky,  the  mountains,  the  valley. 
She  thought  she  heard  sobs  and  a  low  moan  that 
sounded  like  a  farewell,  and  she  called  out,  but 
her  own  voice  was  deadened  by  the  thick  mist 
Presently  the  cloud  moved,  she  felt  herself  lifted 
from  her  seat,  and  gently  borne  down,  down,  until 
her  feet  touched  the  earth. 

Wonder  of  wonders !  She  stood  a  little  brown 
earth-maid  with  scarlet  flowers  in  her  long  black 
hair.  Her  dress  was  of  the  finest  and  softest  tapa; 
around  her  waist  was  a  girdle  woven  of  the  tiniest 
iridescent  shells;  while  clasping  her  neck  and 
smooth  arms  were  many  strands  of  the  same  bril- 
liant gems  of  the  sea. 

She  stood  a  long  time,  dazed,  for  the  earth 
looked  so  different  now  that  she  was  really  on  it. 
The  trees  were  taller  than  she  had  thought,  and 
the  grass  softer.  She  took  a  few  steps ;  a  delicious 
new  sense  thrilled  up  through  her  little  bare  feet 
and  filled  her— why,  what  was  this  she  almost 
felt  now  for  the  first  time? — something  within  her 
that  seemed  to  hold  more  joy  than  she  ever  had 
known  before. 

So  she  tripped  on  over  the  springy  grass  sing- 
ing a  song  quite  new  to  her,  singing  in  a  voice 
that  sounded  at  times  like  the  sweetest  whisper  of 
the  wind,  and  again  like  the  gentle  patter  of  rain- 


"  A  swift  flight  in 
the  cloud-chariot  of  Hine, 
spirit  of  the  rain- 
clouds." 


The  Princess  of  Manoa 


drops,  until  she  found  herself  close  to  the  very 
group  of  young  earth-folk  she  had  so  often 
watched  from  above. 

Startled,  they  all  gazed  at  her  in  silence— the 
sons  and  daughters  of  the  lesser  chiefs — because 
they  did  not  dare  to  approach,  unbidden,  one  whose 
dress  and  ornaments  proclaimed  her  of  the  most 
exalted  rank. 

But  Mahana,  son  of  their  great  chief  of  chiefs, 
he  who  had  dared  to  shake  his  hand  threaten- 
ingly at  Mine's  chariot, — why  did  he  not  speak? 
Mahana  stood  bewitched  He  had  never  seen 
any  one  so  beautiful,  and  his  heart  pounded  so  at 
the  roots  of  his  tongue  that  he  could  not  speak. 

And  Kaha,  looking  shyly  at  Mahana,  thought, 
"Yes,  he  is  braver  and  more  beautiful  than  Kauhi, 
son  of  the  sea-god" 

At  last,  the  young  chief  remembered  his 
manners,  and  bowing  low  before  her,  said:  — 

"Shame  on  my  father's  people  that  we  treat 
a  stranger  so  discourteously.  Will  you  not  join 
us?  If  you  have  come  from  the  other  side  where 
the  mountains  are  like  walls  of  rock,  you  have 
never  known  the  pleasures  of  our  hillsides.  What 
shall  we  call  you?" 

"I  am  Kaha,  and  I  come  from— there,"  point- 
ing to  the  mountains.  "May  I  go,  too?  I  have 
always  wanted  to,  but—  '  and  then  she  stopped, 
afraid  that  if  she  told  them  that  she  did  not  truly 
have  a  beautiful,  brown,  satiny  skin  like  theirs, 
they  might  not  like  her;  and  their  bright,  laughing 


The  Princess  of  Manoa 


black  eyes  and  red  lips  seemed  to  her  most  desir- 
able. 

Mahana  swung  his  long  sled  of  polished  wood 
in  front  of  her,  and  said,  almost  breathlessly,  for  he 
was  still  somewhat  confused: 

'You  have  come  a  long  way.  My  sled  shall 
carry  you  to  the  top."  But  Kaha,  laughing,  was 
half-way  up  the  hill  before  he  could  overtake  her, 
and  they  walked  on  shyly  together,  eager  ques- 
tions burning  on  Mahana' s  tongue,  but  on  his  lips 
only  words  of  courteous  hospitality. 

When  it  came  to  seating  herself  on  the  sled, 
Kaha  was  a  little  awkward  at  first,  but  that  was 
not  surprising,  and  no  one  seemed  to  notice. 
When  all  were  ready  Mahana  gave  his  sled  a 
sudden  push  and  sprang  on  behind  her.  Down 
they  sped  over  the  shining  grass,  faster  and  faster, 
until  the  blood  fairly  tingled  in  her  veins,  and  her 
long  black  hair  whipped  across  the  lad's  brown 
shoulders. 

The  young  chief's  sled  went  faster  and  farther 
than  any  of  the  others.  It  was  far  beyond  the  foot 
of  the  hill  when  he  skilfully  turned  it  into  the 
shade  of  a  wide-spreading  tree.  Kaha's  cheeks 
glowed  like  crimson  roses  under  a  creamy-brown 
veil,  and  her  eyes  shone  with  glinting  lights  that 
danced  in  rhythm  to  her  rippling  voice,  while  they 
sat  a  moment  to  breathe  before  the  upward  climb. 
Again  and  again  they  flew,  breathless,  down  the 
long  hill ;  again  and  again  they  climbed  it  to  the 
music  of  happy  laughter. 


The  Princess  of  Manoa 


Once  Kaha  heard  her  father's  whisper  in  the 
wind  that  stung  her  face;  at  another  time  she 
looked  up  and  threw  a  kiss  to  a  cloud  sailing  slowly 
overhead;  but  she  did  not  want  it  to  come  for  her,— 
not  yet 

"Once  more  we  will  ride  our  sleds,"  Mahana 
said  at  last,  "then  we  will  return  to  the  feast  at 
my  father's  house."  But  he  whispered  in  Kaha's 
ear,  "You  will  come,  too,  Kaha,  and  later,  when 
your  people  come  for  you,  my  father  will  treat 
with  them,  and  you  shall  stay;  for  a  chief's  son 
must  marry,  as  you  know,  and  I  would  rather 
have  you  for  my  wife  than  any  one  I  have  ever 


seen." 


"If  they  will  not,  what  then?"  and  Kaha's 
eyes  laughed  teasingly. 

"'Then  we  shall  fight,"  said  Mahana,  his  flash- 
ing eyes,  his  broad  chest  and  his  straight  limbs 
burnished  brown  in  the  sunshine,  making  him 
quite  as  fine  to  look  at  as  any  god  could  possibly  be. 

Down  the  hill  they  flew  again,  but  this  time 
Mahana  gave  the  sled  such  a  vigorous  push  that 
it  sped  away  out  across  the  plain  and  down  another 
hill  before  it  stopped  out  of  sight  of  all  the  company. 
Kaha  tried  to  rise  but  could  not ;  her  knees  shook 
and  she  was  afraid,  for  now  she  knew  she  must 
confess — and  go.  Fear  was  a  new  sensation  to 
her,  and  showed  how  very  nearly  like  a  mortal  she 
was  growing.  She  sat  still  on  the  sled  until  Ma- 
hana leaned  over,  and  taking  her  by  the  hands, 
raised  her  to  her  feet  and  kissed  her. 


The  Princess  of  Manoa 


Then  the  little  maid  knew  what  had  happened 
to  her;  that  the  air-spirit  in  her  borrowed  body  had 
become  a  mortal  soul,  and  that  she  could  never  go 
back  to  the  clouds  again.  A  splash  of  rain  fell  on 
the  hand  Mahana  still  held,  and  she  looked  up  to 
the  clouds  rolling  heavily  overhead  Soon  great 
drops  were  falling  swiftly  but  gently  all  about  them, 
while  the  wind  moaned,  with  a  new  note  of  sadness, 
through  the  long  grass.  But  Kaha  was  a  spirit  no 
longer,  and  she  let  Mahana  take  her  in  his  arms 
while  she  told  him,  as  well  as  she  could  for  the 
sobs  that  choked  her,  who  she  was  and  how  she 
had  come  to  him. 

When  she  had  finished,  Mahana  raised  his 
face  to  the  sky,  and  stretching  out  his  arms  with 
his  palms  turned  upwards,  chanted  a  vow  to  the 
gods  for  their  great  gift. 

When  he  led  Kaha  before  his  father  and  the 
nobles  of  the  court,  there  was  a  new  dignity  and 
stateliness  in  the  boyish  figure.  He  stood  a 
moment,  searching  in  his  mind  for  the  right  words 
with  which  to  present  the  girl.  Kaha,  though  very 
shy  and  rosy,  was  quite  self-possessed  again,  and 
wonderfully  beautiful,  so  beautiful  that  before  Ma- 
hana spoke  she  had  won  for  herself  the  fevor  he 
would  beg. 

"As  you  commanded,  my  father,  I  have 
chosen  my  bride.  I  give  her  to  you  until  the  time 
is  right  for  our  marriage."  And  the  great  chief 
answered:  'You  have  chosen  well." 

So  Kaha  went  to  live  in  the  big  house  that 

8 


The  Princess  of  Manoa 


was  so  beautifully  woven  of  grasses.  At  first  she 
was  the  great  chief's  beloved  daughter,  and  the 
daughters  of  the  lesser  chiefs  were  her  maids  of 
honor  and  companions.  Soon  she  knew  all  the 
brave  deeds  of  the  great  warriors,  and  wove  them 
into  such  sweet  melodies  that  the  people  came  from 
the  mountainsides  and  up  from  the  seashore  to  lis- 
ten to  her  wonderful  songs.  She  learned  to  swim 
in  the  deep  pools  under  the  waterfalls  at  the  head 
of  the  valley ;  she  could  dive  from  the  highest  rocks 
into  the  dark  water,  and  come  up  on  the  farthest 
side,  laughing  and  shaking  her  thick  hair  from  her 
eyes. 

She  knew  where  to  find  the  fine  matte,  and 
how  to  twist  it  into  fragrant  leis;  and  every  day 
she  wove  the  brightest  flowers  into  garlands  for 
the  great  chief  and  Mahana. 

At  first,  when  they  went  down  to  the  sea  to 
watch  the  fisherman  and  to  gather  seaweed  for 
the  feasts,  she  kept  well  within  the  reef  where  the 
water  was  shallow  and  clear,  for  she  remembered 
Kauhi,  son  of  the  sea-god,  and  feared  his  power; 
but  as  the  dreamy  days  went  by  in  security,  her 
other  life  slipped  into  the  dim  past,  and  she  almost 
forgot  him.  But  always  when  it  rained  she  bared 
her  head  to  the  drops,  and  always  she  turned  her 
face  into  the  wind  to  feel  its  caress  on  her  cheeks. 

After  a  while  she  became  Mahana' s  wife. 
Then  one  day  the  great  chief  said  that  the  time 
had  come  when  Mahana  should  be  made  a  chief  in 
his  own  right;  that  he  would  give  a  feast  that 


The  Princess  of  Manoa 


should  last  a  whole  week,  and  that  all  the  nobility 
of  the  island  should  attend,  to  honor  the  young 
chief  and  his  bride. 

Kaha  called  her  maids  and  went  singing  down 
to  the  sea  to  gather  seaweed  for  the  feast.  The 
water  was  so  clear  and  still  that  they  could  see 
every  tiny  shell  and  branch  of  coral,  and  they 
plunged  in  fearlessly.  Farther  and  farther  from 
the  shore  they  wandered  in  the  shallow  water, 
picking  only  the  finest  and  rarest  of  the  sea  plants, 
until  they  came  to  a  break  in  the  reef  where  the 
water  was  deep,  and  a  channel  opened  out  to  the 


ocean. 

(C 


I  will  swim  across,"  Kaha  said,  for  the  best 
of  all  are  on  the  other  side." 

She  sprang  into  the  channel,  but  had  only 
taken  a  few  strokes  with  her  strong,  young  arms 
when  the  black  fin  of  a  shark  cut  the  waves.  It 
disappeared,  and  a  moment  later  a  white  shadow 
shone  in  the  blue  depths;  then  it  sank  out  of  sight 
again, — but  Kaha,  too,  was  gone. 

Terror-stricken,  the  women  rushed  up  the 
valley.  The  men  heard  their  cries  and  came  out 
to  meet  them,  and  they  turned  back  to  show  the 
place  where  Kaha  had  disappeared;  but  when  they 
came  to  the  shore  again  they  found  her  body  on 
the  sand 

The  wailing  could  be  heard  far  beyond  Leahi, 
and  Mahana,  beating  his  breast,  cried  aloud:  "It 
was  Kauhi,  son  of  the  sea-god,  who  did  this  deed!" 

And   Mahana  was   right      Always   on   the 

10 


The  Princess  of  Manoa 


watch,  Kauhi  had  seen  her  in  the  water,  and, 
quickly  taking  the  form  of  a  shark,  had  caught 
her  and  carried  her  away,  meaning  to  restore  her 
to  her  own  people  of  the  air.  But  Kaha  had 
become  mortal,  and  he  soon  found  that  it  was  only 
the  little  drowned  body  ot  a  Hawaiian  girl  that  he 
held  Sorrowfully  then  he  carried  her  back,  near 
to  the  shore,  and,  when  a  long  wave  rolled  in  from 
the  sea,  he  laid  her  on  its  crest,  and  sent  her  on 
to  the  yellow  sand 

Tenderly  they  took  the  little  girl  up  and 
wrapped  her  in  the  finest  tapa,  and  in  the  glisten- 
ing leaves  of  the  ti  plant,  which,  every  one  knows, 
all  evil  spirits  fear  more  than  anything  else ;  and 
they  laid  her  in  a  grave  in  the  heart  of  the  green 
valley  she  loved 

For  long  years  Mahana  and  his  people 
mourned  her;  then,  one  by  one,  they,  too,  died; 
but  Hine,  spirit  of  the  rain,  and  Kani,  god  of  the 
winds,  still  weep  and  mourn  about  the  spot  where 
their  daughter  was  buried 

And  to  this  day  when  the  rain  splashes  on  the 
sleds  of  the  children  of  Manoa,  they  look  up  and 
exclaim  impatiently,— 

"Oh,  there  comes  Hine  with  her  tiresome 
tears!" 


11 


The  Well  of  Last  Resource 


|N  THE  most  ancient  of  times, 
when  the  eight  islands  themselves 
were  new,  two  children  once  sat 
on  a  rock  of  the  great  dark  moun- 
tain, almost  on  the  edge  of  the 
precipice  that  drops  sheer  to  the 
floor  of  the  valley  below. 

"Do  you  think,  Mana,  that 
our  father  will  soon  return?" 
asked  the  girL  Her  pretty  lips 
drooped  at  the  corners,  and  two  big  tears  over- 
flowed her  dark  eyes. 

"  He  has  been  gone  less  than  a  moon  yet,  and 
war  is  long.  Some  of  the  warriors  never  return," 
answered  the  boy.  His  teeth  closed  till  they 
ground  together,  and  down  the  little  girl's  face  the 
tears  rolled  thick  and  fast. 

"I  think  they  want  to  kill  us,"  she  sobbed. 
"I  tried— I  did  try  to  beat  the  tapa  right,  but  holes 
-would  come  in  it ;  I  couldn't  help  it !  We  never 
worked  so  in  the  days  before  our  father  went  away. 
She— she  snatched  the  stick  out  of  my  hands  and 
hit  me  with  it  many  times.  My  arms  are  bruised 
and  sore,  and  my  head  aches."  The  child  sobbed 
desolately.  The  boy  sprang  to  his  feet  and  strode  to 
the  edge  of  the  precipice,  turning  his  back  toward 
his  sister  for  the  first  time  since  the  morning. 

"Mana!"  she  exclaimed  "Again,  today?" 
There  were  burning  welts  across  his  back,  and  she 
laid  her  cool  hand  on  them.  He  turned  quickly, 
his  face  lowering  with  shame  and  anger. 

12 


The  Well  of  Last  Resource 


4  Yes,  Umi  is  a  man  grown,  and  powerful,  but 
I  shall  be  a  man  some  day,  too!"  his  hands 
clenched  threateningly. 

'They  are  fiends!  they  are  devils — this  sister 
of  our  father  and  her  ugly  son !  They  mean  to  kill 
us  while  he  is  away  so  that  Umi  will  be  the  young 
chief  of  Waialua;  then  they  will  tell  some  smooth 
tale  to  account  for  our  disappearance." 

A  threatening  voice  called 

The  girl  sprang  up  trembling.  "  She  will  beat 
me  again.  She  said  she  would  if  I  did  not  finish 
the  tapa  before  the  sun  slept,  and  I  couldn't" 

"Noe! "  called  the  shrill  voice  again,  this  time 
nearer. 

"Come,"  whispered  Mana  suddenly.  "She 
shall  not  beat  you  again!  The  mountains  are 
kinder  than  they.  Come."  Grasping  his  sister's 
hand  he  drew  her  into  the  shadow  of  the  bushes 
where  they  crouched,  scarcely  breathing,  till  the 
woman  passed;  then  aching,  sore  and  desperate, 
they  stole  away  down  the  farther  slope  of  the 
mountain  toward  the  pale  star  of  evening. 

The  next  day  the  sun  was  sinking  close  to  the 
edge  of  the  world  when  the  two  runaways,  tired 
and  spent,  dropped  on  the  sand  at  the  foot  of 
Leahl  Noe  leaned  her  head  against  the  warm 
rocks,  tears  creeping  slowly  from  under  her  long 
lashes. 

"Don't,  Noe,"  Mana  begged  gently.  '  We're 
tired  and  hungry,  of  course ;  but  many  times  it  has 
been  so  with  us  since  our  father  went  over  the  sea, 

13 


The  Well  of  Last  Resource 


and  we  were  beaten  and  tormented  besides.  Rest 
here  in  this  shelter  while  I  go  down  to  the  shore. 
There  are  fish  in  the  pools  among  the  coral;  I  can 
see  them,  and  the  limu  beckons  to  us  from  the 
wet  rocks.  We  shall  eat  before  the  night  falls." 

Noe  winked  the  tears  from  her  eyes,  and 
sprang  up  smiling.  'Then  I  shall  go,  too,"  she 
said,  "for  many  hands  make  a  quick  feast." 

Together  they  ran  down  to  a  cove  in  the  rocks, 
where  the  waves  ebbed  and  flowed  over  the  dark, 
ragged  coral,  and  the  seaweed  waved  its  juicy 
fronds  in  the  shallow  water.  Soon  Mana  picked 
up  a  struggling  fish  on  the  point  of  his  spear,  and 
when,  presently,  it  lay  on  the  glowing  coals  of  a 
fire,  Noe  returned  with  a  net  full  of  seaweed  and 
tiny  shell-fish.  Since  they  left  the  mountain  they 
had  eaten  nothing  but  a  few  half-ripe  berries,  and 
the  white  flakes  of  the  steaming  fish  and  the 
brown  limu  were  more  delicious  than  all  the  lux- 
uries of  the  king's  feasts. 

On  the  white  sand  among  the  warm,  dry  rocks 
the  children  stretched  their  tired  bodies  in  drowsy 
comfort,  while  across  the  darkening  water  the  moon 
flung  a  path  paved  with  broken  chips  of  silver,  and 
over  it  the  stars  beckoned  to  golden  dreams. 

They  were  happy  again,  almost  as  happy  as 
they  had  been  before  their  father  sailed  away  with 
the  king  to  make  war  on  another  island,  and  left 
them  to  the  care  of  his  ambitious  sister.  By  day 
they  fished  or  raced  over  the  white  sand  of  the 
beach;  at  night  they  slept  under  the  open  sky. 

14 


The  Well  of  Last  Resource 


But  one  morning  when  the  dawn  waited  just 
beyond  the  shadow  of  night,  and  the  late  moon  cast 
a  pallid  light  over  the  land,  Mana  suddenly  awoke. 

On  the  beach  stood  Umi  looking  down  at  their 
fish-net  spread  to  dry  on  the  sand  On  his  evil 
face  was  a  triumphant  smile,  and  his  long  cruel 
fingers  were  spread  in  anticipation. 

Stealthily  arousing  his  sister,  they  crept, 
crouching  in  the  shadows  of  the  rocks,  up  over  the 
hill  into  the  shelter  of  the  forest  where  they  lay 
concealed  among  the  thick  ferns  and  vines,  creep- 
ing out  only  now  and  then  to  gather  a  few  berries 
and  wild  fruits. 

When,  however,  day  after  day  passed  in  peace 
they  took  courage  again.  The  season  of  rains  was 
near,  and  Mana  built  a  cabin  of  dried  grasses, 
while  Noe  gathered  the  long,  shining  leaves  of  the 
hala  and  wove  them  into  mats  for  the  beds.  They 
planted  a  garden,  and  Mana  set  snares  in  the  for- 
est for  game.  Months  passed  in  security,  and  they 
began  to  laugh  aloud  again. 

One  evening  they  sat  before  the  door  of  their 
hut,  Mana  playing  softly  on  his  bamboo  flute,  and 
Noe  chanting  low  the  song  of  their  great  ancestor, 
the  rain-god.  Slowly  the  sun  sank  into  the  ocean, 
and  the  star  of  evening  shot  a  cold  shaft  of  light 
through  the  warm  afterglow.  Mana  laid  down  his 
flute  and  spoke.  "In  three  days,  my  sister,  we 
shall  gather  the  roots  of  the  taro.  We  shall  be 
rich  now,  for  the  garden  flourishes,  and  we  have 
many  mats  and  calabashes/' 

15 


The  Well  of  Last  Resource 


"And  better  yet,"  answered  his  sister,  "we 
work  without  bitterness." 

But  that  night  they  awoke  with  a  fiendish 
laugh  ringing  in  their  ears,  and  the  hot  breath  of 
flames  scorching  their  faces.  Stealing  out  of  a  lit- 
tle opening  in  the  back  of  the  hut  they  fled  deeper 
into  the  forest.  Within  the  shadows  of  the  big  trees 
they  turned  and  saw,  in  the  glare  of  the  burning 
thatch,  the  huge,  distorted  figure  of  Umi  furiously 
laying  waste  the  garden.  In  terror  they  ran 
through  the  woods,  tripping  among  the  tangled 
vines,  falling  over  loose  stones,  panting,  sobbing, 
no  retreat  seemed  safe  enough. 

For  weeks  they  wandered,  sick  at  heart,  hun- 
gry, worn,  now  driven  to  the  mountain  heights  by 
the  taunts  of  their  foe,  now  fleeing  to  the  plains  to 
escape  the  echoes  of  his  jeering  laugh  as  he  fol- 
lowed. 

Then  came  the  season  of  the  great  water- 
famine,  when  Hine  called  the  clouds  to  the  other 
side  of  the  great  dark  mountain,  and  the  ground  of 
the  plains  opened  ragged  lips  beseeching  the  blaz- 
ing sky  for  rain.  Grass  seered  brown  in  the  scorch- 
ing winds,  and  the  leaves  crisped  and  fell  from  the 
branches,  till  the  naked  rocks  were  exposed  like 
gaunt  bones  through  the  rags  of  a  beggar. 

At  last  Umi  drove  the  children  down  the 
parched  valley  to  where  the  mountains  open  out 
to  the  sea,  and  left  them  there  to  die.  About  them 
spread  dry  rolling  hillocks  sparsely  covered  with 
coarse  grass  and  a  few  straggling  berry  bushes. 

16 


"  Stretching  out  his 

arms  with  his  palms  turned 

upwards,  he  prayed 

to  the  Great 

Spirit." 


The  Well  of  Last  Resource 


The  sun  beat  on  their  unsheltered  heads,  their  lips 
dried  and  cracked  with  thirst;  and  in  Noe's  dark 
eyes  there  smoldered  the  fire  of  a  consuming  fever. 

"What  is  the  use,"  she  muttered  dully,  "of 
planting  and  weaving,  of  cutting  and  polishing  cal- 
abashes, and  beating  the  tapa,  only  to  have  them 
turn  to  ashes  before  our  eyes?  My  head  throbs 
and  grows  dizzy  at  the  thought,  and  see  how  your 
hands,  the  hands  of  the  son  of  a  great  chief,  are 
worn  with  the  heavy  toil! " 

Mana  sat  on  a  sun-baked  rock,  his  heart  sore 
with  bitterness,  and  Noe  lay  whispering  to  herself 
with  her  eyes  closed.  He  changed  his  position  so 
that  his  shadow  fell  across  her  face. 

"Noe,"  he  whispered,  bending  anxiously  over 
her,  "lit tie  sister,  what  are  you  saying?" 

The  dull  voice  only  babbled  on  unmeaningly. 

"Noe!"  the  boy  called,  his  voice  sharp  with  a 
new  fear,  "wake  up !  You  are  having  a  bad  dream. 
Wake  up!" 

Suddenly  Noe  opened  her  eyes  glittering  with 
fever  and  delirium. 

" Water!"  she  called  hoarsely,  "water,  I  tell 
you!;; 

"But  there  is  no  water,"  Mana  sobbed  miser- 
ably. 

Noe  beat  her  hands  into  the  hot  grass. 

Mana  shook  her,  calling  her  name  frantically, 
and  she  laid  back  again,  muttering  softly  with  her 
eyes  closed. 

Frightened  and  desperate  the  boy  sprang  to  his 

17 


The  Well  of  Last  Resource 


feet,  facing  the  mountain  where  the  gray  draperies 
of  the  great  rain-god  lay  on  the  dark  peaks. 
Stretching  out  his  arms  with  his  palms  turned  up- 
wards, he  prayed  to  the  Great  Spirit 

" Father  of  our  fathers,"  he  cried,  "God  of  the 
blessed  waters,  turn  your  eyes  toward  the  unhappy 
children  of  your  children !  Send  us  the  life-giving 
medicine,  or  my  sister  will  die." 

High  up  in  the  mountains  the  clouds  stirred, 
then  gathered  thick  and  dark  over  the  pool  at  the 
foot  of  the  waterfall.  Out  of  the  mist  rumbled  the 
deep  voice  of  the  water-spirit,  and  the  call  awoke 
Moo,  the  great  green  lizard,  from  his  long  sleep  in 
the  earth. 

He  stretched  himself,  and  listened.  When  the 
voice  of  the  spirit  ceased,  Moo  slipped  into  the  pool, 
and  burrowed  under  the  spur  of  the  mountain, 
down  under  the  foothills,  under  the  hot  hillocks, 
and  the  dried  stream-bed,  through  to  the  place 
where  lay  the  sick  child.  With  a  lash  of  his  pow- 
erful tail  he  broke  open  the  rocks,  and  the  water, 
following  him  through  the  newly  made  tunnel, 
gushed  out  crystal-clear,  filling  the  stream  full  to 
overflowing. 

Mana,  crouching  with  his  face  buried  in  his 
arms,  heard  the  gurgle  of  the  water  and  sprang  to 
his  feet.  Deep  and  cool  spread  the  pool  before  him, 
and  on  down  through  the  parched  fields  rippled  the 
little  stream.  And  by  and  by  where  it  ran  new 
life  sprang  up.  The  straggling  bushes  burst  into 
luxuriant  bloom,  and  the  berries  grew  luscious  and 

18 


The  Well  of  Last  Resource 


sweet  The  soaring  birds  heard  the  splash  of  the 
water,  and  dropped  on  stilled  wings  to  drink  at  the 
margin. 

And  there  the  warrior-chief  found  his  chil- 
dren. But  hardly  had  the  salt  dried  on  his  canoes 
ere  they  were  launched  again,  this  time  to  carry 
the  wicked  woman  and  her  son  into  exile  on  the 
Island  of  Demons.  But  the  spring  still  flows  from 
the  rocks,  the  Well  of  Last  Resource,  to  the  peo- 
ple of  the  valley. 


19 


A  King's  Ransom 


HE  KING  stepped  from  his  canoe 
to  the  beach,  and  his  keen  eyes, 
roving  the  sea,  saw  a  dark  head 
rising  and  felling  with  the  waves 
far  out  from  the  shore.  It  was 
then  but  a  speck  on  the  broad  blue 
ocean,  but  so  swiftly  it  approached 
that  he  waited  among  his  chiefs, 
watching  and  marveling  at  the 
force  that  lifted  the  sinewy  body 
half  its  length  out  of  the  water  at  each  stroke. 
Even  then  they  saw  that  the  man  carried  a  long 
spear  in  one  hand,  or  drove  it  before  him  across 
the  smooth  stretches  between  the  waves.  At  last 
the  swimmer  rose  to  his  feet  in  the  shallow  water 
and  strode  up  the  shore.  He  was  naked,  lean,  and 
lithe;  and  his  wet  brown  skin  shone  in  the  sun 
like  polished  koa.  There  were  wounds  on  his  arms, 
and  a  deep  ragged  gash  across  his  chest,  but  he 
stood  erect  in  the  royal  presence,  and  when  the 
king  spoke  he  answered  unafraid. 

"  From  Moku  Ola,  I  come.  A  day  and  a  night 
in  the  sea." 

"From  Moku  Ola!"  exclaimed  an  old  chief  in 
surprise. 

"From  the  City  of  Refuge." 
"  And  who  is  the  youth  who  comes  thus  boldly 
from  Moku  Ola  to  Waipio?"  asked  the  king. 

"Kuala,  am  I,  son  of  Laa  who  is  dead  through 
the  treachery  of  his  brother.  Seven  days  ago  the 
battle  was  fought,  and  when  I  sought  my  father 

20 


A  King's  Ransom 


among  the  slain  I  found  him  with  his  dead  arms 
locked  about  his  living  foe.  Sons  of  one  father 
were  they,  but  the  clasp  of  death  was  stronger 
than  had  been  the  living  bond  Then  came  the 
son  of  my  father's  brother,  great  of  stature,  and 
powerful,  but  with  all  his  strength  he  could  not 
undo  the  embrace.  He  called  for  help — " 

"And  where  was  the  son  of  the  dead  chief?" 
asked  the  king. 

"  I  stood  beside  them,  looking  on."  The  youth- 
ful face  was  grim  and  scornfuL 

"And  then?"  the  king's  eyes  gleamed  under 
their  heavy  brows. 

'The  day  after  the  battle  my  father's  brother, 
who  was  too  weak  from  his  many  wounds  to  leave 
his  couch,  sent  for  me ;  but  I  was  searching  the 
battle-field  and  did  not  go.  The  next  day  he  came 
to  me,  and  offered  me  a  part  of  my  father's  land, 
and  a  place  in  the  household  he  had  stolen." 

"And,  boy,  what  did  you  answer?"  asked  the 
great  warrior. 

"I  have  yet  to  answer,"  said  Kualu.  "At  that 
moment  I  found  what  I  sought  — my  father's  spear, 
and  it  grazed  the  cheek  of  our  foe  before  I  scarce 
knew  it  had  been  in  my  hand" 

"Go  on,"  said  the  king  with  savage  interest 

"His  son  sprang  upon  me,  but  my  javelin  was 
a  stout  one.  I  left  him  lying  on  the  ground,  and 
fled  toward  the  sea  with  a  half-score  of  their  war- 
riors following  me.  It  was  a  long  chase,  and  they 
were  net  a  dozen  paces  behind  when  I  plunged 

21 


A  King's  Ransom 


into  the  sea,  for  I  had  lost  much  blood  in  the 
battle  and  was  weak;  but,  even  as  they  clutched 
at  my  feet,  my  fingers  touched  the  sacred  rock  of 
the  Island  of  Life,  and  I  turned  and  laughed  in 
their  faces." 

"And  what  is  your  desire  now?"  asked  the 
great  chief  of  chiefs  whose  valiant  heart  warmed 
to  the  unconquered  lad 

"A  place  in  your  service,  O  king.  The  reck- 
oning between  them  and  me  will  come  before  I  lay 
down  my  father's  spear." 

And  Kualu  that  day  entered  the  service  of  the 
king. 

It  was  well  known  among  the  chiefs  of 
Hawaii  that  the  king  looked  with  war-like  eyes 
upon  Maui,  the  island  whose  shores  could  be  seen 
from  Waipio  when  the  waves  of  the  channel  rolled 
unbroken  and  the  sun  drank  up  the  mists.  But 
the  time  of  the  feast  of  Lono  was  near— the  five 
days  of  the  year  which  the  gods  claim  as  tribute 
from  the  months,  and  the  preparations  for  the  con- 
flict gave  place  tP  the  great  festival.  By  day  there 
were  games  of  skill  and  tests  of  strength  among 
the  chiefs ;  music  and  dancing  and  feasting  in  the 
light  of  the  candle-nut  torches  filled  the  long 
nights;  and  in  the  reckless  time  of  the  gods  Kualu 
laid  aside  the  memory  of  his  wrongs. 

But,  though  the  stalwart  young  chief  had 
looked  unflinchingly  into  the  eyes  of  the  great  king, 
in  the  presence  of  the  king's  daughter  the  hot 
blood  burned  in  his  face,  and  his  tongue  clung  to 

22 


A  King's  Ransom 


his  teeth.  As  a  chief  of  the  royal  household  he 
saw  her  many  times  between  the  rising  and  the 
setting  of  the  sun.  When  the  women  sang  in  the 
moonlight  to  the  music  of  the  ukeke  he  heard  only 
the  clear  tones  of  her  voice,  and  in  the  dark  of  the 
starless  nights  he  knew  the  sound  of  her  soft  foot- 
fall on  the  rushes.  She  was  a  small  maid,  light  as 
the  down  of  the  pulu  fern,  and  as  brown,  and  her 
dark  eyes  laughed  at  his  confusion.  But  the  days 
of  the  gods  were  days  of  greater  freedom,  and  the 
handsome  young  chief  found  that  after  all  the 
laugh  was  only  in  her  eyes. 

On  the  first  day  of  the  new  year,  when  the 
festival  was  ended,  the  king  sent  his  runners  over 
the  island  to  demand  a  tribute  of  soldiers  and 
canoes  from  the  chiefs  of  the  outer  districts,  and 
the  preparations  for  war  went  on  openly. 

"Kualu,"  said  the  little  princess  when  they 
met  in  the  moonlight  by  the  spring  of  Waiamoa, 
11 1  have  talked  with  Wahia,  the  Sorceress,  and  her 
words  are  that  you  will  bring  back  from  the  war 
that  which  shall  give  you  power  over  kings.  We 
will  pray  the  gods  that  she  be  a  true  prophet." 

"It  is  well,"  said  the  young  chief  eagerly,  "for  I 
have  much  to  win  before  the  king  will  listen  to  us." 

When,  at  last,  the  great  fleet  of  canoes  was 
launched,  and  the  army  sailed  away,  the  winds 
were  favorable,  and  the  waves  propitious.  On  the 
morning  of  the  second  day  they  landed  near  Lele, 
where  the  king  of  Maui  and  all  his  army  awaited 
them.  From  the  first  the  surge  of  battle  was  with 

23 


A  King's  Ransom 


the  hosts  of  Hawaii,  though  fierce  and  stubborn 
the  resistance;  and  the  conflict  raged  over  the  hills 
till  scarce  a  Maui  warrior  remained  One  band 
alone  held  out,  strongly  entrenched  behind  a  stone 
wall,  and  defiant  as  though  possessed  of  some  in- 
vincible power. 

Kualu  led  the  charge  over  the  bulwark,  and 
one  by  one  the  brave  defenders  fell,  till,  through 
the  thinning  guard,  he  caught  the  flash  of  an  un- 
known weapon.  Shouting  with  exultation,  he 
hewed  his  way  into  the  center  of  the  tumult,  and, 
with  a  swinging  blow  of  his  javelin,  brought  a 
strange,  white-faced  warrior  to  the  ground.  As 
the  gleaming  blade  slipped  from  the  inert  hand 
Kualu  seized  it,  and  plunged  it  to  the  hilt  in  the 
earth;  then,  with  his  foot  covering  the  handle,  and 
his  javelin  dealing  fearful  blows  about  him,  he  stood 
his  ground  till  the  last  of  the  Mauiians  were  dead, 
or  had  fled  over  the  hills.  If  any  save  the  young 
chief  had  seen  the  strange  knife,  he  had  not  lived  to 
tell  it;  and  when  the  army  of  Hawaii  returned  to 
Waipio,  the  strange  weapon  was  hidden  in  a 
bundle  of  captured  spears,  and  on  the  tapa  cover- 
ing was  the  tabu  mark  of  the  chief  Kualu. 

In  secret  he  carried  it  to  the  cabin  of  the  old 
seer.  "I  need  your  counsel,"  he  said  to  her  in  a 
whisper.  "Know  you,  mother,  what  I  have  in 
this  tapa?"  He  unrolled  the  covering. 

"Auwei!"  she  said  softly.  "It  is  the  iron 
knife!  But  a  little  while  ago  a  white-faced 
stranger  came  to  the  shores  of  Maui  in  a  canoe  of 

24 


A  King's  Ransom 

a 


an  unknown  shape,  and  in  his  hand  he  carried  a 
knife,  the  like  of  which  was  never  seen  on  all  the 
eight  islands :  harder  than  the  hardest  rock,  sharper 
than  the  sharpest  bone,  but  thin  and  bending  as  the 
lance  of  a  palm  leaf,  and  with  the  fire  of  the  noon- 
day sun  leaping  from  haft  to  tip.  They  thought  he 
was  the  white  god  of  whom  the  prophets  spoke,  but 
—  he  died,  you  say,  like  any  man?  The  gods  have 
befriended  you,  Kualu.  Leave  the  knife  with  me. 
It  is  safe  here,  and  there  are  many  who  would 
covet  it  The  time  of  its  power  is  not  yet" 

While  the  army  still  reveled  in  the  glory  of 
victory,  the  king  prepared  to  strike  a  blow  for  still 
greater  power;  and  from  shore  to  shore,  from 
mountain  peak  to  mountain  peak,  there  sounded 
the  call  to  arms.  By  land  and  by  sea  the  chiefs 
came  with  their  bands  of  warriors,  till  the  hills  of 
Hainakolo  were  covered  with  camps,  and  the  war 
canoes  lay  on  the  beach  from  where  the  first 
morning  light  strikes  the  sand  to  the  last  rock 
burnished  by  the  setting  sun.  Kualu' s  kinsmen, 
both  father  and  son,  came  by  sea  with  a  hundred 
warriors ;  but  Kualu  bore  himself  with  cold  pride, 
and  the  feud  was  buried  before  the  king. 

But  one  day  when  the  little  princess  met  her 
lover  at  the  spring,  her  eyes  were  full  of  tears,  and 
she  sobbed  as  she  said  to  him:  "Your  kinsman 
urges  me  to  marry  Olapana,  his  son.  He  is  the 
most  powerful  noble  on  the  island  and  has  many 
warriors,  and  my  mother  looks  upon  him  with 
favor.  What  shall  we  do?" 

25 


A  King's  Ransom 


Kualu's  brows  lowered  ominously,  and  he 
struck  his  clenched  hand  on  the  rock. 

:' Yet  Wahia  hides  the  iron  knife  and  counsels 
us  to  wait!"  he  cried  passionately.  "I  am  tired  of 
waiting!  I  have  but  to  lift  my  hand  and  a  score  or 
more  of  his  warriors  will  come  to  me ;  then,  with 
the  iron  knife — ' 

"Hush ! "  said  the  maid,  looking  fearfully  about. 
:'Wahia  says  it  is  a  thing  of  evil.  It  invites  dis- 
aster. Also,  she  says,  this  war  will  make  great 
changes;  some  stars  will  rise  and  some  will  set. 
Yours  is  still  behind  the  clouds  of  the  horizon,  my 
chief,  but  not  for  long  is  it  to  be  hidden,  Wahia 
says." 

But,  though  the  powerful  chief  pleaded  and 
the  queen  urged,  the  king  was  too  intent  on  his 
own  ambition  to  consider  the  marriage  of  a  maid. 

Never  before  had  such  an  army  put  out  from 
any  island  shore;  never  before  had  an  island  war- 
song  rolled  from  so  many  throats.  The  wind 
brought  the  sound  back  over  leagues  of  ocean,  and 
the  sea-birds  flew  to  the  mountains,  screaming  with 
alarm.  On  the  morning  when  the  dawn  showed 
the  blue  hills  of  Kauai  before  them,  the  king  stood 
on  the  deck  of  the  royal  canoe  and  saw  his  fleet 
spread  out  over  the  channel  like  the  wings  of  a  bird 
so  great  that,  from  tip  to  tip,  it  measured  the  width 
of  the  island. 

Kauai  lay  on  the  still,  blue  sea  like  an  en- 
chanted land.  Along  the  shore  no  canoe  broke  the 
placid  ripple  of  the  waves;  as  far  as  eye  could  see, 

26 


A  King's  Ransom 


neither  man  nor  beast  moved  on  the  shore;  among 
the  hills  no  spear  caught  the  flash  of  the  rising 
sun.  All  night  the  strange  stillness  brooded,  but  at 
break  of  day  ten  thousand  spearsmen  poured  out  of 
the  hills,  like  a  flood  through  a  broken  dam,  and 
the  impact  of  the  hosts  was  like  the  charge  of 
stormy  billows  on  a  rocky  shore.  The  air  was  torn 
with  shouts  and  cries,  with  the  sound  of  clashing 
spears  and  whirling  javelins,  and  the  panting 
breath  of  desperate  struggle. 

Suddenly  another  great  army  rounded  the 
point  by  sea  to  attack  and  destroy  the  canoes,  and 
the  king  sent  Kualu  to  the  rescue  with  a  band  of 
picked  fighters.  They  sprang  to  the  boats,  and  as 
they  cast  them  off,  fleet  met  fleet  with  a  crash. 
Men  fought  on  the  decks  and  in  the  water;  foes 
clenched  on  the  bed  of  the  ocean,  and  drowned,  or 
rose  to  the  surface  to  be  beaten  under  again  with 
paddles ;  spears  and  javelins  shrieked  through  the 
air,  till  at  last  Kualu  and  a  score  or  so  of  warriors 
looked  at  one  another  across  a  splintered  fleet. 

'To  the  king!  To  the  king! "  called  the  young 
chief;  but  on  the  land  the  battle  was  lost.  The 
slain  lay  under  the  blistering  sun,  and  not  one  man 
of  all  the  invading  host  held  out  against  the  defend- 
ers. The  little  band  stood  aghast  before  the  ruin, 
until  discovered  by  the  foe ;  only  half  of  the  score 
escaped.  For  many  days  they  skirted  the  coast, 
trying  to  learn  the  fate  of  the  king.  At  night  they 
landed  and  crept  to  the  outskirts  of  the  villages, 
and  in  the  frequent  skirmishes  five  of  their 

27 


A  King's  Ransom 
KWS3K^^ 

number  were  lost.  At  last  they  fled  before  the 
chase  of  a  dozen  canoes,  and  two  more  warriors 
fell  under  the  waves. 

Weakened  by  painful  wounds,  starved  and 
exhausted,  they  turned  toward  Hawaii,  and  after 
many  weary  days  reached  the  island  Though 
watchers  stood  on  the  shore  as  they  drew  near, 
when  they  landed  the  beach  was  deserted  Every- 
where Kualu  found  only  averted  faces.  He  spoke 
to  the  guard  before  the  palace,  and  the  man  turned 
and  walked  to  the  other  side.  He  called  to  a  child 
who  had  loved  him;  it  ran  to  its  mother,  and  she 
covered  the  little  face  with  her  hand  Bewildered 
and  angry,  he  strode  up  the  valley  to  the  cabin  of 
Wahia. 

'"What  is  it?"  he  demanded  fiercely.  "  What 
evil  has  worked  against  me?"  The  old  woman  looked 
in  his  scarred  face ;  she  lifted  his  cut  and  bruised 
hands,  and  turned  his  broad  back  to  the  light 

'The  chief  Kualu  bears  not  the  marks  of  a 
coward,"  she  said,  "though  Olopana  returned  from 
the  war  full  seven  days  ago,  and  told  that  you  had 
deserted  the  king  and  escaped  with  all  the  canoes." 

Kualu  stared  in  angry  amazement  at  the  old 
woman.  He  tried  to  speak,  but  his  throat  was 
choked  with  fury. 

"But  Kalaunui  is  not  dead,"  Wahia  went  on. 
"Only  this  morning  a  wounded  spearman  returned 
alone  in  a  broken  canoe.  He  died  on  the  shore, 
but  not  before  he  whispered  that  the  king  was  a 
prisoner." 

28 


"  This  alone  I  offer, 

without  canoe,  or  spear,  or 

treasure  of  any 

kind." 


A  King's  Ransom 


With  all  the  old  hate  stirring  in  his  heart, 
Kualu  returned  to  the  palace.  As  he  crossed  the 
courtyard  he  passed  Olopana  and  the  little  prince. 
They  were  talking  with  an  old  warrior,  and  near 
them  sat  the  women  of  the  queen's  household; 
and  all  but  the  little  lad  looked  another  way. 

'Turn  your  young  eyes  from  the  sight  of  a 
coward,  my  prince/'  Olopana  said  in  a  loud  voice. 

The  red  blood  died  out  of  Kualu' s  face;  he 
turned  slowly  and  walked  back  to  them.  No 
sound  came  from  his  rigid  lips,  but  he  took  the 
spear  from  the  hand  of  the  old  man,  and,  step- 
ping back  a  pace,  pointed  to  the  weapon  in  his 
kinsman's  hand.  Olopana  saw  the  vengeance  in 
his  eyes,  and  his  spear  flew  wildly,  but  Kualu 
waited  the  space  of  a  dozen  breaths,  then  with  a 
furious  blow  he  buried  the  spear  with  the  insult  in 
the  heart  of  the  slanderer. 

The  days  that  followed  were  days  of  deep 
humiliation.  Taunts  showered  about  him  —  taunts 
that  he  resented  till  his  heart  was  sick  with  the 
unending  strife. 

Then  one  night  Wahia  brought  the  iron  knife. 
"The  time  is  come  now,"  she  said.  "You  must 
go  to  Kauai  and  bring  back  the  king." 

"I  bring  back  the  king!"  he  exclaimed  bit- 
terly. '  You  mock  me !  I  could  not  gather  twenty 
men  to  my  standard!" 

"You  have  what  is  more  powerful  than  an 
army:  the  iron  knife.  It  is  a  king's  ransom,  boy. 
Take  but  five  men  who  have  proved  their  faith;  be 

29 


A  King's  Ransom 


cunning  and  wise,  and  you  will  return  to  marry  the 
princess,  and  to  hold  the  highest  place  in  the 
council  of  the  king." 

When  the  canoe  with  the  six  young  chiefs 
sailed  away  from  the  shore  of  Waipio,  no  one  but 
an  old  woman,  and  a  maid  who  watched  from  the 
shelter  of  the  forest,  knew  of  the  treasure  that  lay 
wrapped  in  many  folds  of  tapa  in  the  boat  of  the 
disgraced  chief,  or  that  he  was  gone  to  seek  the 

king- 
Then  the  gods  gave  their  favors  freely.  Fresh 
breezes  filled  the  sails  by  day,  and  at  night  the 
canoes  rocked  in  safety  on  the  gentle  swells  of  the 
peaceful  ocean.  As  they  approached  Kauai  they 
raised  on  a  spear  the  emblem  of  an  envoy;  and 
when  they  landed,  the  king  of  the  island,  sur- 
rounded by  his  chiefs  of  council,  received  them  at 
once.  Kualu  announced  their  mission  boldly. 

" Victorious  king,"  he  said,  "we  of  Hawaii 
know  that  our  sovereign  lives  a  prisoner  on  your 
island."  The  king  gravely  bowed.  "  And  we  have 
come  to  offer  canoes  and  spears,  to  the  number  you 
ask,  in  exchange  for  his  freedom." 

"  We  have  more  canoes  than  can  find  refuge  on 
our  shores  when  the  storms  sweep  the  sea,"  replied 
the  great  king  with  stately  courtesy,  "and  the 
spears  lie  in  uncounted  thousands  in  the  courtyard." 
"And  many  of  them  we  should  know  were 
we  to  see  them,"  said  Kualu  sadly. 

The  next  day  the  six  chiefs  of  Hawaii  again 
asked  an  audience  of  the  royal  council,  and  added 

30 


A  King's  Ransom 


twenty  feather  cloaks  of  priceless  value  to  the  offer 
for  the  king's  ransom;  and  again  they  were  court- 
eously refused.  The  next  day  still  other  treasures 
were  tendered,  equally  in  vain. 

Then  Kualu  raised  his  right  hand,  and  they 
knew  that  he  had  a  matter  of  grave  and  secret 
importance  to  communicate.  The  attendants  fell 
back,  and  the  King  of  Kauai  and  his  chiefs  each 
lifted  the  right  hand  in  token  of  good  faith.  Kualu 
took  from  under  his  cloak  a  long  slender  roll  of 
tapa  and  laid  it  at  the  feet  of  the  sovereign.  Look- 
ing keenly  about  the  circle  of  august  faces,  he 
stooped  and  opened  the  roll,  and  the  long,  thin 
steel  blade  lay  naked  in  the  sunlight,  like  a  flash 
of  lightning  snared. 

'This  alone  I  offer,"  he  said,  " without  canoe, 
or  spear,  or  treasure  of  any  kind" 

"Auwe-e-e  \ "  breathed  the  council  of  old  nobles. 

'The  iron  knife!  M  whispered  the  king  in  awe. 

'The  knife  of  the  white  god     Will  it  buy  our 
sovereign's  freedom?" 

'The  king  of  Hawaii  is   free,"    replied   the 
stately  old  savage. 


31 


The  Story  of  the  Eight  Islands 


NCE  upon  a  time,  many  ages  ago, 
that  portion  of  the  earth's  surface 
where  the  blue  waves  of  the 
Pacific  Ocean  surge,  beating  back 
and  forth  from  the  Golden  Gate  to 
the  land  of  the  Great  Dragon,  was 
a  desolate  waste  of  arid  country, 
where  no  green  thing  grew,  and 
where  no  bird  or  beast  of  any  kind 
had  ever  been  tempted  to  build  a 
nest  or  make  a  lair. 

It  was  a  region  of  dreadful  mountains  tower- 
ing into  the  sky,  and  of  hot,  sandy  valleys  be- 
tween,— at  least,  so  some  folk  say.  They  ought 
to  know,  too,  for  they  are  the  people  who  now  live 
on  the  islands  that,  in  that  long  ago  age,  were  the 
tops  of  the  very  highest  peaks  in  the  middle  of 
that  fearful  country. 

An  old  man  who  lives  in  a  grass  hut  on  the 
slope  of  one  of  those  mountains,  up  where  the 
mists  trail  through  the  tree  tops,  and  the  rainbows 
are  forever  pointing  out  treasures  of  potted  gold 
that  nobody  ever  finds,  knows  all  about  it;  and  for 
the  proof  of  the  truth  of  this  strange  tale  of  his— 
why,  there  are  the  mountains  and  there  is  the  blue 
rolling  sea! 

Away  off  to  the  south,  the  old  man  says, 
where  the  sky  comes  down  to  meet  the  ocean, 
was  another  land  where  the  mountains  were  giant 
furnaces  of  white-hot  fire;  though  waving  palms 
fringed  the  shores  and  the  hillsides  were  covered 

32 


The  Story  of  the  Eight  Islands 


with  a  glowing  carpet  of  flowers.  It  was  where 
the  gods  lived  when  they  were  not  busy  interfering 
with  the  affairs  of  ordinary  people. 

At  that  time  Pele,  spirit  of  fire,  was  the  most 
beautiful  of  all  the  goddesses.  Her  hair  was  long 
and  dusky  as  the  cloud  of  black  smoke  that  poured 
from  the  throat  of  the  great  mountain;  her  face 
was  like  the  flakes  of  white  ash  that  floated  away 
through  the  air,  glowing  rosily  in  the  light  of  the 
fire;  her  eyes  were  black  as  the  shining  lava 
where  it  cooled  on  the  edge  of  the  pit  The  great 
Kane  was  her  father,  her  mother  was  a  sea  nymph, 
and  though  she  lived  in  the  heart  of  the  mountains, 
every  day  she  went  down  to  the  shore  to  talk  with 
her  mother. 

It  happened  one  day  when  there  was  great 
commotion  out  in  the  world  of  mortals,  and  the 
gods  and  goddesses  were  being  so  constantly  in- 
voked that  it  did  not  pay  to  return  between  times 
to  their  own  abode,  that  Pele  wandered  alone  by 
the  sea.  It  was  a  golden  morning ;  the  night  haze 
still  lay  far  out  on  the  water,  where  the  blue  of  the 
sea  melted  into  the  blue  of  the  sky,  and  the 
shadows  of  the  cocoa  palms  were  long  on  the  yel- 
low sands. 

Suddenly  a  fleet  of  canoes  broke  through  the 
mists,  cutting  the  dancing  waves  with  their  thin, 
graceful  prows,  and  sending  the  spray  in  white 
showers  from  the  points  of  their  sweeping  outrig- 
gers. On  they  came,  skimming  the  water  like  sea- 
birds,  paddles  flashing  in  the  sun,  and  a  sheen  of 

33 


The  Story  of  the  Eight  Islands 


golden  brown  bodies  swaying  rhythmically.  Three- 
score and  one  canoes  in  all,  spread  out  like  a  flock 
of  wild  fowl  in  migrating  order ;  and  the  one  that 
led  was  large  and  strong  and  beautiful. 

Pele  retreated  to  the  shelter  of  a  rocky  cavern 
overgrown  with  ferns  and  creeping  vines,  and 
watched  them  breathlessly,  waiting  the  tragedy  of 
the  reef  that  no  mortal  had  ever  yet  survived. 

Then  up  rose  a  figure  in  the  prow  of  the  fore- 
most canoe.  From  under  a  shading  hand  bold 
eyes  searched  the  coast,  found  the  hidden  channel, 
and  the  fleet  shot  through  the  spindrift  and  spume 
of  the  angry  breakers,  into  the  quieter  waters 
within  the  reef.  Straight  and  tall  stood  the  young 
chief,  the  white  foam  of  the  fawning  surf  purring 
along  the  sides  of  the  canoe.  On  his  head  was  a 
helmet  of  yellow  feathers,  and  from  his  shoulders 
hung  a  sweeping  cloak  of  the  same  golden  plumage. 

With  strong,  swift  strokes  of  their  paddles  the 
warriors  sent  the  canoes  crunching  through  the 
shells  on  the  sand,  and  beached  the  fleet  high  out 
of  reach  of  the  waves.  Then  the  chief  threw  his 
great  spear,  and  where  it  struck  and  stood  upright 
quivering  in  the  ground,  there  the  guard  of  honor 
spread  the  royal  mats.  A  score  or  more  of  war- 
riors began  immediately  to  build  the  royal  lodge  of 
the  long  fronds  of  the  palm  trees  woven  together; 
another  score  set  about  preparing  the  morning 
feast,  and  a  third  was  picketed  about  the  camp 
with  spear  and  shield  ready  to  repel  a  foe,  if  foe 
should  come. 

34 


The  Story  of  the  Eight  Islands 


At  last  the  young  chief  turned  and  saw  Pele 
standing  in  the  shadow  of  the  rocks,  a  strange  light 
in  her  great  somber  eyes.  In  a  moment  he  was 
kneeling  at  her  feet,  and  Pele  saw  that  he  was 
beautiful  as  well  as  strong  and  brave.  She  had 
never  seen  any  one  like  this  bold  young  chief  with 
the  eager  eyes  and  handsome  face.  For  a  moment 
she  paused,  fascinated;  then  she  turned  and  fled 
swiftly  up  the  mountain,  Malia  following  her. 

Day  after  day  Malia  disappeared  from  the 
camp  for  hours  at  a  time,  and  so  successfully  did 
he  woo  the  beautiful  goddess  of  fire,  who  appeared 
to  him  but  a  simple  maid,  that  she  always  met 
him  in  the  cool,  green  depths  of  the  forest  shade. 
Together  they  wandered,  gathering  strange,  beau- 
tiful flowers  or  sat  on  the  rocks,  Malia  recounting 
his  conquests,  his  long  journeys  over  the  vast 
ocean ;  telling  of  the  strange  peoples  he  had  warred 
with,  and  the  treasures  he  had  captured  and  car- 
ried away,  while  Pele  listened  with  inscrutable  eyes. 

For  a  long  time  Malia  and  his  band  made 
their  camp  on  the  shore,  but  at  length  the  soldiers 
grew  restless;  adventurers  all,  they  had  set  out 
for  conquest  and  wealth,  and  here  there  was 
neither  gold  nor  a  people  to  conquer. 

Then  Kekaha,  a  goddess  whose  jealousy  of 
the  beautiful  Pele  made  her  wicked,  took  the  form 
of  an  Amazon,  and  mingling  with  the  warriors, 
told  them  of  a  wonderful  country  far  to  the  north, 
where  the  gold  lay  under  the  open  sky,  and  prom- 
ised to  lead  them  there. 

35 


The  Story  of  the  Eight  Islands 


Malia  was  loath  to  leave  Pele,  but  the  counsel 
of  the  lesser  chiefs  at  last  prevailed,  for  one  morn- 
ing when  Pele  had  waited  at  their  trysting-place 
and  he  did  not  come,  she  wandered  on  down 
through  the  forest,  watching  and  listening.  When 
at  last  she  reached  the  place  where  the  camp  had 
been,  she  saw  the  shore  strewn  with  the  disorder 
of  a  hasty  flight;  but  the  whole  fleet  of  canoes  had 
passed  beyond  the  horizon. 

Pele  sank  on  the  sand,  and  the  wind  lifting 
her  long  black  hair,  covered  her  with  it  as  with  a 
mourning  veil.  For  a  long  time  she  sat  there 
unheeding;  the  fires  in  the  mountains  smoldered 
to  a  dull  glow  and  almost  died  out,  and  still  she  sat 
unmoving.  Then  in  the  darkness  of  the  night  her 
mother  came  up  out  of  the  sea  and  spoke  to  her. 

"Go,  my  daughter,"  she  said,  "and  light  a 
torch  at  the  fire  in  the  great  mountain,  there  is 
still  a  spark  left.  With  it  search  along  the  coast 
for  a  canoe.  One  of  the  three-score  I  capsized, 
and  when  the  men  grew  weak  with  the  buffeting 
and  sank  to  the  bottom  of  the  sea,  I  brought  it 
back  to  you.  Take  it  and  set  forth,  and  I  will  guide 
you;  but  keep  the  light  burning." 

Pele  arose  and  found  the  canoe.  When  she 
had  fixed  the  torch  in  the  bow  and  seated  herself, 
a  hugh  wave  rolled  up  the  sand,  and,  receding, 
lifted  the  boat  and  carried  it  out  to  sea.  On  and 
on  it  sped  without  sail  or  paddle,  the  prow  always 
to  the  north;  on  and  on  over  the  trackless  sea, 
with  never  a  sail  in  sight;  on,  until  even  the  sea- 

36 


"  On  and  on  it  sped, 

without  sail  or  paddle,  the 

prow  always  to 

the  north." 


The  Story  of  the  Eight  Islands 


birds  were  left  behind.  At  last  Pele  saw  a  long 
black  cloud  hanging  low  on  the  horizon,  and  un- 
der it  loomed  the  shores  of  a  Dreadful  Land.  Still 
the  canoe  sailed  on ;  the  cloud  spread  and  shut  out 
the  sunshine,  and  the  air  grew  thick  and  heavy. 
Poisonous  vapors  floated  up  from  the  land,  and 
darkness — dense  darkness— shut  down  over  the 
whole  region. 

"Alas,"  cried  Pele,  "my  boat  will  be  wrecked 
on  the  terrible  rocks!  I  can  go  no  further!" 
Crouching  in  the  bottom  of  the  canoe  she  covered 
her  face  with  her  hands,  waiting  the  shock  of  the 
keel  on  the  shore. 

When  she  looked  up  the  land  had  disap- 
peared. She  sprang  to  her  feet,  raising  the  torch 
high  above  her  head.  From  the  sky  on  the  north 
to  the  sky  on  the  south,  from  the  east  to  the  west, 
the  sea  rolled.  The  Dreadful  Land  lay  fathoms 
deep,  and  only  the  tops  of  the  highest  mountains 
rose  above  the  waves,  eight  rocky  islands  on  the 
bosom  of  a  mighty  ocean. 

When  the  canoe  grated  on  the  shore  of  the 
island  farthest  to  the  north,  Pele  took  the  torch 
and  climbed  to  the  top.  She  touched  the  light  to 
the  rocks,  and  they  burned  with  a  flame  that  lit  up 
every  spur  and  crevice  on  the  mountainside;  but 
Malia  was  not  there.  She  left  the  fire  burning  and 
embarked  again,  landing  on  the  island  next  to  the 
south,  where  she  again  lit  a  fire  and  searched  for 
her  lover,  again  in  vain.  From  island  to  island  she 
wandered,  until  all  but  one  of  the  mountains  were 

37 


The  Story  of  the  Eight  Islands 


throwing  fountains  of  fire  high  into  the  air.  As 
the  canoe  touched  the  shore  of  the  last  island  Pele 
saw  a  spear  lying  on  the  rocks. 

"Here  will  I  find  Malia,"  she  cried,  casting 
her  boat  adrift  Seizing  the  torch  she  sprang  from 
crag  to  crag,  calling  in  her  clear,  beautiful  voice  to 
her  faithless  lover.  At  last  she  found  him, 
lying  dead  where  the  wicked  Kekaha  had  deserted 
him. 

Long  she  mourned  on  the  desolate  mountain. 
Where  the  torch  dropped  from  her  hold  it  burned 
a  great  cavern  in  the  rocks.  There  Pele  made  her 
home.  Sometimes  she  slept,  and  then  the  fire  died 
away  until  only  a  thin  column  of  smoke  floated  up 
from  the  pit  to  mingle  with  the  fleecy  clouds; 
when  she  awoke  the  whole  mountain  shook  with 
her  restless  muttering.  She  breathed  on  the 
smoldering  coals,  and  fountains  of  red-hot  lava 
shot  into  the  air.  Now  and  then  she  broke  into 
raging  fury,  and  swept  the  land  with  streams  of 
liquid  fire  that  shriveled  every  living  thing  in  their 
paths. 

That  was  eons  ago.  One  by  one  the  volcanoes 
on  the  other  islands  died  out;  but  to  this  day  in 
the  depths  of  Kilauea  the  fire  still  burns,  and  the 
lava  surges  hot  and  red.  Long  ago  the  fresh  sea 
winds  cleared  the  deadly  air;  the  rain  crumbled 
the  rocks  to  soil.  Then  the  waves  of  the  ocean 
brought  seeds  from  distant  lands,  and  they  took 
root  and  flourished;  flowers  opened  to  the  smiling 
sky,  and  fruits  ripened  in  the  warm  sunshine,  until 

38 


The  Story  of  the  Eight  Islands 


now  those  dreadful  mountain  peaks  glow  with  the 
colors  of  jewels  set  in  the  blue  enamel  of  the 
tropic  sea. 


39 


The  Forest  of  Haina  Kolo 


LONE  on  the  lonely  sea,  in  the 
wide,  dark  night,  a  canoe  drifted. 
As  it  rolled  heavily  on  the  sluggish 
swells,  a  plaintive  chant,  weighted 
with  woe,  rose  and  fell  with  the 
throbbing  waves,  and  the  voice 
was  rich  with  the  pathos  of  a  long- 
past  age: 

"Wide  is  the  dark  and  dreary  ocean, 

Long  the  night  of  unseen  terrors, 
The  night  of  dark  and  fearful  terrors, 
The  night  of  rain  and  driving  storm ; 
The  night  that  ends  in  blazing  sunbeams, 
In  flames  that  scorch  the  brazen  sky; 
In  light  that  burns  the  rolling  waters, 
And  strikes  the  waves  to  white-hot  flames 
That  blind  the  weary  eyes. 
Broad  is  the  arch  of  the  fiery  heavens, 
Slow  the  pace  of  the  laggard  sun; 
But  when,  at  last,  it  sinks  to  the  ocean, 
It  plunges  under  the  darkening  waves, 
And  night,  long,  dreadful  night,  holds  sway  again." 

The  wail  died  away  in  a  low  moan,  and  only 
the  wash  of  the  restless  sea  sounded  through  the 
empty  night. 

'The  long,  long  night,"  the  plaint  began  again. 

"The  cold  night—" 

A  child  whimpered  in  the  bottom  of  the  canoe, 
and  the  woman  drew  it  into  her  arms  and  wrapped 
the  thick  veil  of  her  long,  dusky  hair  around  the 
little  naked  brown  body.  Again  the  lament  floated 
over  the  dark  water: 


40 


The  Forest  of  Haina  Kolo 


"  Sleep,  son  of  the  great  chief,  Loakalani, 
Son  of  the  father  who  sailed  from  the  gardens  of 

Kauai, 

From  the  shady  groves  of  the  Garden  Isle 
To  the  land  of  the  burning  mountains. 
He  remembers  not  the  daughter  of  the  king, 
He  has  forgotten  the  son  she  bore  him. 
Forgotten  is  Haina  Kolo,  the  wife ; 
Forgotten  is  Lei  Makani,  the  son." 

Heavy  with  weariness,  the  woman  drooped 
over  the  child  and  her  eyes  closed.  The  canoe 
rocked  deeper  on  the  rising  waves ;  it  dipped  to  the 
water,  and  a  dash  of  spray  roused  her  again.  She 
caught  up  the  paddle,  and  turned  the  prow  of  the 
canoe  toward  a  star  hanging  low  over  the  sea. 

"  Lost  are  the  unmarked  paths  of  the  ocean, 
Lost  is  the  road  to  Hawaii, 
To  the  land  of  the  great  chief,  Loakalani, 
To  the  home  of  the  man  and  fathc 

The  child  had  wailed  fretfully  when  it  slipped 
from  the  mother's  arms,  and  she  crooned  it  to  sleep 
again. 

"  Sleep,  for  the  calabash  is  empty, 
And  the  water-gourd  lies  open  and  dry, 
Parched  as  the  husks  of  a  long-past  feast." 

A  tinge  of  gray  brightened  the  line  where  the 
sea  met  the  sky ;  the  day  was  breaking.  But  sleep 
weighed  heavily  on  the  woman,  and  she  swayed 
under  the  burden;  the  paddle  dropped  unheeded 
from  her  hand  and  floated  away  in  the  darkness. 
Still  holding  the  child  in  a  close  embrace,  she 
slipped  to  the  bottom  of  the  canoe,  and  her  pain 

41 


The  Forest  of  Haina  Kolo 


was  eased  in  dreamless  slumber ;  the  child  slept  in 
the  warmth  of  the  mother's  body,  and  the  canoe 
drifted  aimlessly. 

One  by  one  the  stars  gathered  in  their  rays 
and  hid  in  the  depths  of  the  blue;  the  shadows  fled 
swiftly  from  the  face  of  the  ocean,  and  when  the 
great  red  sun  rose  again  over  the  world  the  canoe 
still  rocked  on  the  empty  sea,  as  it  had  rocked  for 
many  long,  burning  days.  The  woman  and  the 
child  slept  on;  and  the  glory  of  the  new  day  gilded 
the  ocean  and  the  dripping  canoe  with  useless  gold 
The  freshening  breeze  lifted  the  cloud  of  dusky  hair 
from  the  face  of  the  woman,  and  she  was  beautiful 
—beautiful  as  the  dawn,  and  still  in  the  morning 
of  slim,  dainty  youth. 

But  while  the  sun  was  yet  low,  a  great,  dark 
storm-cloud  rolled  up  from  the  place  of  unknown 
terrors  at  the  back  of  the  sky.  The  wind  struck 
the  water  like  the  flat  of  a  paddle,  and  the  spray 
leaped  high  over  the  crouching  waves.  With  a 
quick  jerk  the  canoe  dipped  the  water,  then  rolled 
back  and  dipped  on  the  other  side.  The  woman, 
suddenly  aroused,  dragged  herself  painfully  to  her 
knees. 

Already  the  storm-cloud  spread  over  half  the 
heavens,  and  the  waves,  white  and  broken,  fled 
before  the  lash  of  the  wind.  She  looked  wildly 
around  for  her  paddle,  and  the  canoe,  unguided, 
swung  its  length  to  the  rush  of  the  sea. 

The  child  screamed  with  fright  The  mother 
held  it  close  in  the  hollow  of  her  arm,  waiting,  for 

42 


The  Forest  of  Haina  Kolo 


beyond  the  race  of  waves  towered  a  mountain  of 
water,  its  thin  edge  barely  frayed.  She  braced  her- 
self and  lay  out  over  the  outrigger;  but  her  slender 
body  was  like  the  feather  of  a  sea-bird,  and  the  mer- 
ciless billow  picked  up  the  canoe  in  its  giant's  clutch, 
as  though  it  were  but  a  chip  from  the  hewer's  ax, 
and  threw  it  face  down,  beating  it  into  the  water. 
When  the  wave  passed  on,  the  canoe  lay  like  a 
log  rolling  helplessly  in  the  trough  of  the  sea 

The  woman  came  to  the  surface,  still  clutch- 
ing her  child,  and  struck  out  for  the  splintered  hull 
Through  the  long  hours  of  the  storm  she  clung  to 
the  slippery  wreck,  though  again  and  again  the  sea 
tore  it  from  her  grasp.  At  last,  toward  the  end  of  the 
day,  an  island  loomed  dimly  through  the  driving 
spray,  and  she  left  the  hull  and  swam  toward  the 
shore.  Some  time  in  the  blackness  of  the  night  she 
felt  the  land  under  her  feet ;  she  dragged  herself  up 
the  beach,  gripping  a  little  limp  body  in  the  hollow 
of  her  arm,  and  sank  on  the  dry,  warm  sand. 

In  the  gray  of  the  dawn  she  roused,  but  the 
child  lay  as  she  had  gathered  it  to  her  with  the  last 
of  her  spent  strength.  Sitting  on  the  sand,  she 
rocked  it  in  her  arms,  crooning  coaxingly  with  her 
warm  lips  on  the  little  cold  face.  By  and  by  she 
staggered  to  her  feet,  gathered  the  long  grass  that 
grew  in  the  crevices  of  the  rocks  above  the  beach, 
and  made  a  nest  for  the  little  one. 

"It  but  sleeps,"  she  said  wistfully.  "When  I 
return  with  food  it  will  wake." 


43 


The  Forest  of  Haina  Kolo 


Then  came  two  fishermen  of  the  queen  who 
had  caught  nothing  that  day. 

"The  fish-god  is  angry,"  said  old  Niiu.  "He 
has  called  them  all  away."  They  cast  their  net 
again,  and  drew  it  in  empty. 

"The  queen  will  eat  flesh  or  fowl  this  day," 
said  the  old  man  as  they  strode  up  the  beach. 

There  were  footprints  on  the  shore,  small, 
slender  molds  that  dragged  at  the  toes  as  though 
the  feet  had  been  lifted  in  great  weariness.  They 
led  up  from  the  edge  of  the  water  to  a  place  where 
some  one  had  lain  long  and  heavily  in  the  sand. 
From  there  the  prints  were  fresher,  and  the  fish- 
ermen followed  till  they  suddenly  came  upon  the 
child  in  the  green  nest  As  they  gazed  at  it  in 
astonishment  it  moved  feebly. 

"This  is  a  strange  fish  to  come  out  of  the  sea," 
said  Niiu.  The  tiny  waif  moaned,  and  he  took  it  in 
his  arms  to  warm  it  against  his  broad  chest 
"Auwei!"  he  breathed  softly  in  wonder,  lifting  a 
slender  necklace  from  the  little  brown  neck.  "The 
child  of  a  high  chief!  Fish  or  no  fish,  I  must  take 
it  to  the  queen," 

When  Haina  Kolo,  daughter  of  a  king,  dragged 
her  stiffened  limbs  back  to  the  beach,  the  fern-lined 
nest  in  the  rocks  was  empty.  She  gazed  into  it 
stupified,  but  at  last  her  face  brightened  and  she 
laughed  gently. 

"Lei  Makani! "  she  called,  and  her  voice  was  as 
sweet  as  the  sound  of  the  waters  of  Hulawo.  She 

44 


•U  I 


"Then  two  fishermen  of 

the  queen  suddenly  came  upon 

the  child  in  the  fern-lined 

neat.  . .  .  '  This  is  strange 

fish  to  come  out  of 

the  sea.' " 


The  Forest  of  Haina  Kolo 


peered  among  the  rocks,  but  no  laughing  face 
greeted  her,  no  shout  of  baby  glee  answered;  she 
ran  along  the  beach  calling,  "Lei  Makani!  Lei 
Makani! "  coaxingly  at  times,  then  again  her  voice 
rose  clear  and  loud  as  the  sound  of  a  battle-ax 
striking  the  Ringing  Rocks.  The  winds  answered, 
but  the  child  who  was  named  for  them  was  beyond 
the  call. 

Then  for  hours  she  crouched  on  the  shore  in 
the  blazing  sun,  neither  hearing  nor  seeing,  till  the 
tide  crept  up  and  lapped  her  feet  At  the  first  touch 
of  the  water  a  wild,  unreasoning  horror  leaped  into 
her  eyes;  she  sprang  up  and  ran  away  from  the  sea, 
away  from  the  sight  of  the  rolling  billows,  away 
from  the  sound  of  the  thundering  surf,  up  into  the 
heart  of  the  mountain  forest 

There  she  lived  for  many  long  years ;  and  in 
the  deep,  cool,  green  shade  the  peace  of  the  ever- 
lasting hills  crept  into  her  heart 

But  when  the  sound  of  the  surf  boomed 
through  the  hills  in  the  early  dawn,  and  a  storm 
brooded  on  the  ocean,  a  haunting  memory  stirred 
in  her  half-darkened  mind;  she  would  go  swiftly 
down  to  the  shore,  and,  running  along  the  beach, 
would  call,  "  Lei  Makani !  Lei  Makani! "  now  softly, 
enticingly,  now  rousing  the  echoes  with  her  clear 
sweet  voice. 

' The  mad  woman  calls  the  winds,"  the  fish- 
ermen would  say,  and  hasten  to  make  ready  for  a 
gale. 

At  last  there  came  a  season  of  fierce  storms 

45 


The  Forest  of  Haina  Kolo 


from  the  south  that  raged  over  the  land  and  sea. 
For  many  weeks  the  fishermen  dared  not  venture 
on  the  water,  and  the  taro  patches  were  washed 
away  in  the  floods,  so  that  the  people  were  hungry. 
It  was  in  the  time  of  the  year  when  the  sun  hur- 
ries across  the  heavens,  and  the  days  are  short. 
The  clouds  spread  over  the  sky  like  a  thick  gray 
tapa  without  rent  or  seam,  and  the  days  were 
dreary  and  sunless. 

Then  a  strange,  swift  sickness  fell  on  the  island, 
and  so  many  died,  that  from  dawn  to  dark,  and 
from  dark  to  dawn,  the  wailing  never  ceased.  It 
throbbed  over  the  island  from  sea  to  sea,  and  min- 
gled the  cries  of  woe  with  the  shrieking  winds. 

"It  is  the  strange  mad  woman  of  the  moun- 
tains," said  the  high  priest  to  the  queen.  "She  calls, 
and  the  sick  wind  blows  from  the  south;  then  the 
souls  of  the  afflicted  are  lured  into  it,  as  the  feather 
of  a  sea-bird  is  caught  in  the  gale  and  carried  no 
one  knows  whither.  She  is  possessed  of  an  evil 
spirit,  and  the  wailing  will  not  pass  from  the  island 
of  Hawaii  until  her  body  lies  on  the  altar  of  the 
gods." 

That  same  day  the  queen  sent  messengers 
through  the  mountains,  searching  for  the  mad 
woman.  They  found  her  sitting  on  the  rushes 
before  her  cabin,  quietly  weaving,  and  on  her  face 
rested  the  peace  of  the  great  silent  forest  She 
folded  away  her  mats  and  went  with  them  will- 
ingly, for  her  sufferings  had  drained  her  heart  of 
fear. 

46 


The  Forest  of  Haina  Kolo 


In  the  night  the  half-lulled  storm  rose  again,  and 
raged  furiously.  It  tore  the  limbs  from  the  trees 
and  shrieked  through  the  groves  like  the  demons 
of  Milu,  and  the  surf  rolled  in  endless  thunder. 
From  a  hut  in  the  temple  courtyard  a  plaintive  cry 
rose  above  the  tempest :  "Lei  Makani!  Lei  Makani!" 

In  the  sleeping-house  of  the  palace  a  young 
chief,  who  was  called  Olulo  because  he  was  found 
on  the  seashore,  stirred  uneasily  on  his  mats.  "Lei 
Makani! "  came  the  call  again,  and  he  rose  quickly 
and  went  out  into  the  storm ;  but  the  rain  on  his  face 
woke  him,  and  he  wondered  why  he  had  left  his 
bed 

Then  in  the  dark  hut  a  sad,  lonely  chant  rose 
and  fell  on  the  waves  of  the  storm : 

"Lost  is  the  son  of  Loakalani, 
And  the  mother,  Haina  Kolo, 
Daughter  of  the  great  Kailiula, 
Mourns  in  the  land  of  strangers. 
Bereft  is  Haina  Kolo,  the  mother, 
Forgotten  is  Haina  Kolo,  the  wife, 
Doomed  to  death  is  Haina  Kolo,  the  princess. 
The  long,  long  night.     The  sad  night  —  " 

When  the  morning  dawned  one  of  the  guard 
went  to  the  queen  and  told  her  what  he  had  heard, 
and  the  queen  sent  quickly  to  the  temple  in  great 
fear  that  it  might  be  too  late ;  but  the  high  priest 
himself  brought  Haina  Kolo  to  the  palace. 

"  She  is  the  wife  of  the  chief  of  Waimanu  who, 
these  many  years,  has  mourned  for  her,"  said  the 
queen.  ;'When  he  returned  to  Kauai  after  the 

47 


The  Forest  of  Haina  Kolo 


long  war  they  told  him  that,  fearing  he  would 
never  return,  she  had  gone  in  search  of  him;  and 
he  himself  found  her  wrecked  canoe  on  the  shore 
of  the  Island  of  Demons." 

"Auwei!  Then  she  is  the  lost  princess  of 
Kauai!" 

"But  the  son,  where  is  he?"  The  queen  and 
the  priest  looked  at  each  other  in  startled  wonder. 

"Send  for  old  Niiu,"  said  the  priest.  "He  has 
but  lately  returned  to  these  shores  after  many 
years." 

And  the  old  fisherman,  when  he  saw  the 
woman  sitting  in  the  house  of  the  queen,  said,  "It 
is  the  mother  of  the  child  I  saw  her  searching 
among  the  rocks  by  the  sea,  but  I  had  given  the 
waif  to  the  queen  and  could  not  take  it  back." 

The  swiftest  runner  in  all  Hawaii,  at  the  com- 
mand of  the  queen,  threw  off  his  tapa  and  sped 
away  over  the  rain- washed  plains;  and  in  the 
blast  of  the  storm  the  chief  of  Waimanu  returned, 
pace  by  pace,  with  the  fleet-footed  messenger. 

When  father  and  son,  the  one  gray  with  the 
years  that  had  passed,  and  the  other  grown  to  a 
stalwart  youth,  stood  before  her,  Haina  Kolo  knew 
them  both;  and  the  haunting  shadows  passed  from 
her  mind  as  the  mist  clears  from  the  hills  in  the 
rays  of  the  rising  sun. 

And  the  forest  where  for  so  many  years  she 
lived  in  lonely  solitude  is  still  called  The  Forest  of 
Haina  Kolo. 


48 


The  Magic  Arrow 


RE  you  sure,  Hina,  that  the  earth 
has  not  grown  since  the  days  of 
my  father?" 

The  woman  sitting  on  the 
rush-strewn  ground  looked  up 
from  her  weaving  of  dried  grasses, 
and  a  smile  dawned  slowly  in  her 
great,  somber  eyes. 

'The  space  between  the  stone 
and   the    sandalwood   tree  is  the 
same,  my  son/7  she  answered. 

"But  the  trees  are  larger.  I  remember  when  this 
one  was  only  a  single  branch  out  of  the  ground ;  and 
you  have  often  told  me  that  when  we  came  here 
to  this  forest,  I  was  but  a  small  child  in  your  arms." 
"But  the  earth  is  past  its  youth,  and  the 
measure  of  its  growth  is  backward." 

'Then  tell  me  again,"  demanded  the  boy, 
throwing  himself  on  the  rushes  beside  his  mother, 
"what  manner  of  man  was  he  who,  standing  on 
this  stone,  could  throw  a  spear  to  yonder  mark. 
Begin  at  the  beginning,  and  tell  me,  how  came  he 
to  the  shores  of  this  island?" 

Hina's  thin  brown  fingers  flew  swiftly  among 
the  quivering  strands,  but  the  silence  was  unbrok- 
en for  the  space  of  a  score  of  breaths,  while  the 
leaves  whispered  softly  to  a  low-drifting  cloud,  and 
the  sunshine  glinted  in  the  deep  green  tunnels  of 
the  forest.  At  last  she  spoke,  and  her  voice,  rich 
and  low,  filled  and  swelled  the  harmony  of  the 
bird-songs. 

49 


The  Magic  Arrow 


"From  out  of  the  golden  dawn  floated  his 
canoe,"  she  said,  "a  tiny  speck,  shot  by  the  rays 
of  the  rising  sun  across  the  shimmering  blue.  So 
swiftly  it  came  the  fishermen  forgot  the  fish  strug- 
gling in  the  nets,  and  stood  chest-deep  in  the  surf, 
waiting  to  see  what  being  it  was  whose  canoe  cut 
the  water  like  the  fin  of  a  spear-fish  in  chase. 
When  the  boat  reached  the  rim  of  breakers  on  the 
reef  it  paused,  then,  obeying  a  mighty  stroke  of  the 
paddle,  leaped  to  the  crest  of  a  wave,  and  sped 
shoreward  with  the  swiftness  of  an  arrow  sprung 
from  a  warrior's  bow. 

"And  I-  "  interrupted  the  boy,  "I  have  never 
seen  a  man  save  old  Pakeo,  who  comes  to  our 
mountain  to  gather  the  brown  floss  of  the  tree- 
fern.  But  he  is  crooked  and  little,  though  he 
throws  a  swift  spear.  And  then,  mother  Hina?" 

"And  then,  when  they  saw  that  the  stranger 
bore  the  emblems  of  a  high  rank,  they  led  him  to 
the  king,  and  the  king  received  him  as  a  noble  guest. 
Very  soon  he  became  a  member  of  the  royal  house- 
hold, for  he  had  great  skill  with  the  javelin  and  the 
long  spear,  and  was  wise  in  warfare."  Hina 
paused,  and  the  boy  took  up  the  tale  eagerly. 

"And  when  the  stranger  had  won  the  great 
joust  before  the  king,  he  asked  the  high  priest  of 
the  temple  for  his  daughter.  Mother,  think  you 
that  the  maids  in  the  valley  now  are  as  beautiful  as 
you  are?" 

"As  I,  Hiku!  The  young  girls  are  smooth- 
skinned,  with  black,  shining  hair,  and- 

50 


The  Magic  Arrow 


"But  the  birds  with  the  black  feathers  are  not 
so  beautiful  as  the  little  manu  that  is  soft  gray  and 
white ;  and  the  black  cloud  is  the  cloud  of  storm 
and  fierce  lightning.  I  like  not  the  black  things  of 
the  forest.  Now,  tell  me  of  the  time  when  my 
father  brought  us  up  here  into  the  mountains,  be- 
fore the  great  battle  on  the  plains." 

4 'It  was  after  the  fishermen  had  fled  from  the 
sea  with  the  tale  of  the  thousand  war  canoes  ready 
to  be  launched  from  the  shore  of  Lele,  to  descend 
on  our  coast.  The  king  was  calling  in  the  chiefs 
and  their  warriors  from  the  distant  valleys  of  the 
island,  and  making  ready  a  strong  defense.  Your 
father  came,  and  taking  you  from  my  arms  bade 
me  follow  him.  High  up  in  the  mountains  we 
climbed,  into  the  depths  of  the  forest  Here,  as  you 
see  it  now,  was  the  house  ready  for  our  use;  mats 
were  spread  for  the  bed,  and  food  was  stored 
enough  for  many  weeks.  Giving  you  back  to  my 
arms,  he  stepped  to  yonder  stone  and  threw  his 
spear.  Across  the  open  it  whistled,  like  the  shrill 
call  of  a  bird,  and  buried  its  point  in  the  trunk  of 
the  sandalwood.  When  he  brought  back  the  spear, 
he  said,  'My  lance  I  leave  to  my  son,  and  the 
mark  on  the  tree  for  him  to  grow  to.  When  he  is 
strong  and  sure,  and  can  plant  the  spear  of  his 
father  in  the  heart  of  the  scar,  then,  and  not  until 
then,  must  he  leave  the  mountain  and  go  down 
into  the  valley  to  learn  the  ways  of  men.  Before 
he  goes,  give  him  the  arrow  that  is  fastened  above 
the  door,  and  if  liis  hands  are  free  of  the  stains  of 

51 


The  Magic  Arrow 


life-blood,  it  will  show  him  the  way  and  the  task  I 
leave  him.  I  go  to  fight  for  his  land  and  his  king 
— and  to  return  no  more.'  Then  calling  to  the 
gods  to  protect  us,  he  went  quickly  away  through 
the  forest" 

"And  he  was  killed?"  whispered  the  boy,  his 
eyes  wide  and  wistful  though  he  knew  well  the 
tale. 

"He  was  seen  fighting  beside  the  king  till  the 
last  foe  was  down ;  but  his  body  was  not  among 
the  dead,  nor  stood  he  among  the  living.  Some 
said  he  was  of  the  race  of  the  gods,  and  they  had 
called  him." 

The  sad  voice  ceased,  but  in  the  woman's  dark 
eyes  there  burned  a  fire  that  seemed  the  driving 
force  of  the  flying  fingers;  the  weaving  grasses 
trembled  in  the  still  air,  and  the  warm,  damp  fra- 
grance of  the  forest  rose  like  incense  to  the  noon- 
day sun.  On  the  rush-strewn  ground  Hiku  lay 
thinking  of  the  unknown  hero  whose  son  he  was, 
until  his  waking  fancies  flowed  unbroken  into  the 
marvels  of  dreamland  adventure. 

The  mother  turned  to  speak  again;  but  seeing 
him  asleep,  rose  quietly  and  gathered  her  beautiful 
mats  into  a  bundle.  With  another  glance  at  the 
boy  she  slipped  away  through  the  trees,  down  the 
mountain  on  the  further  side,  into  the  village  of  a 
people  who  knew  her  not,  and  traded  the  work  of 
her  busy  hands  for  food. 

When  the  boy  awoke,  the  shadow  of  the  san- 
dalwood  lay  twice  the  length  of  the  stately  trunk 

52 


•*', 


•L 


41  Hiku  bounded  to  the 

edge  of  a  cliff  overhanging 

the  valley,  and  peered 

eagerly  over  the 

brink." 


The  Magic  Arrow 


across  the  turf.     He  sprang  to  his  feet,  his  eyes 
still  alight  with  the  fire  of  a  dream-battle. 

"Hina!  mother  Hina!"  he  called  softly.  Only 
the  woodland  echo  answered,  and  he  stretched  his 
lithe  body,  listening.  In  all  the  wide  forest  there 
was  no  human  sound.  The  murmuring  breeze, 
the  rustle  of  growing  things,  the  twitter  of  the  birds 
but  underscored  the  silence. 

Suddenly  a  laugh,  clear  and  sweet  though  dis- 
tant, floated  up  through  the  still  air.  Hiku  bounded 
to  the  edge  of  a  cliff  overhanging  the  valley,  and, 
throwing  himself  at  full  length  on  the  rocks,  peered 
eagerly  over  the  brink.  His  brows  drew  quickly 
together  in  an  impatient  frown,  for,  instead  of  a 
sunny  green  valley,  he  looked  into  a  sea  of  fleecy 
vapor,  through  which  the  mountain  tops  rose  to  the 
clear,  amber  light  of  the  waning  day.  Billows  upon 
billows  of  tumbled  whiteness  covered  the  lowlands 
and  sea,  though  the  sound  of  laughing  voices  came 
up  to  the  boy's  ears,  now  clear,  now  muffled,  as 
the  clouds  shifted  in  the  freshening  wind.  So  often 
Hiku  had  lain  thus,  listening  and  peering,  but 
always  the  clouds  or  the  thick  underbrush  baffled, 
and  no  one  but  old  Pakeo  had  ever  dared  the 
mountain  height,  for  the  valley-folk  believed  it  the 
abode  of  a  sorceress. 

Hiku  waited  until  the  last  sound  died  away; 
then  he  sprang  to  his  feet  and  strode  back  to  the 
hut,  followed  by  the  mocking  cry  of  the  birds. 

'Twas  a  maid, '  twas  a  maid, '  t was  a  maid! " 
they  seemed  to  call  after  him,   and  he  crashed 

53 


The  Magic  Arrow 


through  the  brush,  his  pulses  throbbing  riotously. 
Never  before  had  he  heard  young  voices  so  near, 
and  the  hot  blood  tingled  through  his  veins  to  his 
finger-tips.  It  was  the  call  of  youth  to  youth,  and 
all  the  lad's  powerful  strength  responded.  He 
swung  across  the  clearing  before  the  cabin,  where 
Hina  again  sat  at  her  weaving,  and  caught  up  the 
spear  from  the  ground. 

For  a  moment  he  poised  on  the  worn  stone, 
his  muscles  slowly  swelling  and  knotting  under 
the  brown,  satiny  skin.  Then,  swift  as  the  dart  of 
a  scorpion's  sting,  his  sinewy  arm  shot  out,  and 
recoiled,  and  the  spear  flew  through  the  air,  swift 
and  true,  into  the  very  heart  of  the  old  scar. 

"Hina!"  he  shouted,  "mother  Hina!  I  have 
done  it!  See!  See!  The  spear  of  my  father  again 
quivers  in  the  trunk  of  the  old  tree! " 

The  woman  rose  slowly  to  her  feet,  and  stood 
uncertain — dazed.  Unexpectedly  she  reached  the 
goal  that,  she  had  thought,  was  still  many  turns 
in  the  maze  of  the  future.  She  watched  Hiku 
spring  to  the  tree  and  tear  out  the  spear;  then  she 
turned  and  brought  him  the  magic  arrow. 

"It  is  yours,"  she  said.  "But  the  night  comes 
swiftly.  Wait  now  the  new  day,  then  go  down 
into  the  valley.  When  you  reach  the  foot  of  the 
mountain,  shoot  the  arrow  from  your  bow  and 
follow  its  flight  It  will  lead  you ;  but  fail  not  to 
return  before  the  day  is  gone." 

In  the  early  morning,  as  the  sun  came  up  out 
of  the  sea  dripping  showers  of  gold,  Hiku  left  the 

54 


The  Magic  Arrow 


cabin  and  ran  eagerly  down  the  mountainside, 
springing  from  ledge  to  ledge,  leaping  the  rifts  in 
the  rocks,  down  through  the  thick  mist  of  clouds 
into  the  long-dreamed-of  valley. 

He  drew  his  bow  and  shot  the  arrow  out  into 
the  unknown  world  before  him.  It  fell  in  an  open 
field  where  young  men  were  practising  with  the 
javelin  and  the  long  spear.  For  a  time  he  watched 
them  curiously,  then  turned  and  fitted  the  arrow 
to  his  bow  again. 

'These  are  but  children,"  he  thought,  "I  shall 
find  men  further  on." 

At  the  second  flight  the  arrow  led  him  to  a 
grove  where  men  and  women  were  drinking  from 
a  big  bowl  of  awa.  Some  were  reeling  about  sing- 
ing, others  were  quarreling,  while  a  few  lay  in 
heavy,  noisy  slumber;  but  it  all  looked  foolish  to 
the  untaught  boy,  and  he  passed  on. 

For  the  third  time  he  drew  the  tense  string  of 
the  bow,  and  followed  the  slender  barb.  It  led 
him  through  taro  patches  and  gardens,  past  village 
huts,  into  the  courtyard  of  the  high  chief,  where 
it  dropped  at  the  feet  of  a  young  girl. 

Laughingly  she  caught  up  the  dart  and  hid  it 
behind  her  as  Hiku  entered  through  the  gateway. 

"How  do  I  know  it  is  yours?"  she  asked  when 
he  held  out  his  hand ;  and  her  lips  made  the  youth 
think  of  the  ripe,  red  ohias  in  the  mountains. 

"My  own  will  come  to  me,"  he  answered,  and 
whistled  softly.  Instantly  the  arrow  slipped  from 
her  fingers  and  fluttered  to  his  shoulder. 

55 


The  Magic  Arrow 


"Auwei ! "  cried  all  the  people  in  astonishment ; 
and  the  old  chief  came  out  of  his  house  at  the  sound 

14 Who  is  this  stranger?"  he  asked 

"Hina,  the  daughter  of  Neula,  is  my  mother," 
Hiku  answered  for  himself,  "and  I  bring  my  fath- 
er's strong-bow  to  the  service  of  the  king." 

When  Hiku  entered  into  the  new  life,  the  old 
existence  faded  away  to  the  dimness  of  a  half-for- 
gotten dream.  The  primeval  forest,  the  hut  in  the 
clearing,  even  the  lonely,  waiting  woman,  were 
veiled  from  his  memory,  even  as  the  dark  peak 
was  hidden  from  the  valley  by  the  thick  curtain  of 
mist  that  banked  against  the  mountainside.  Each 
day  held  new  wonders:  the  bountiful  feasts,  the 
sports  where  his  great  strength  won  him  high 
honor  among  the  young  men;  the  music,  the  danc- 
ing, the  singing  and  laughter  and  jest;  but  more 
than  all,  the  beautiful,  laughing  eyes  of  Kawelu, 
the  fairest  daughter  of  the  chief,— she  at  whose 
feet  the  arrow  had  fallen,— held  him  enthralled. 

At  last,  in  the  darkness  of  the  night,  he  awoke 
suddenly  to  find  the  magic  arrow  lying  in  his  open 
hand  With  the  touch  came  a  quick,  accusing 
thought  of  Hina,  alone  in  the  forest  At  once  he 
arose  and  stole  out  of  the  sleeping  village,  and  in 
the  still  dawn  reached  the  hut.  His  mother  sat  on 
the  rushes  weaving,  and  he  threw  himself  on  his 
knees  before  her. 

"Give  me  your  pardon,  mother,"  he  begged 
"I  thought  I  was  a  man,  but  I  have  forgotten  like 
a  child" 

56 


The  Magic  Arrow 


Hina  stood  up;  taking  his  head  between  her 
hands  she  raised  his  face  to  the  light  and  read  in 
his  eyes  the  honest  shame  of  his  heart 

"Ah,  Hiku,"  you  are  but  a  lad  after  all,  though 
a  good  lad,  for  you  repent  wholly." 

"Then  come  with  me,  mother  Hina.  Return 
to  the  village  where  you  are  still  remembered  and 
loved." 

Hina  glanced  about  the  little  clearing  where 
every  tree,  every  stone  was  so  familiar  that  she 
read  the  hour  of  the  day  in  the  shadows,  and  Hiku 
saw,  growing  in  her  face,  the  dread  of  change. 
With  heart  throbbing  to  return  to  the  human  life  of 
the  village,  he  set  himself  patiently  to  the  task  of 
stealing,  one  by  one,  the  fears  and  misgivings  from 
her  mind.  When  she  took  up  her  work  again  he 
stretched  his  long  limbs  beside  her,  and  began  the 
tale  of  his  adventures  in  the  valley. 

To  the  boy,  the  days  on  the  mountain  dragged 
almost  intolerably,  but  he  waited  resolutely  for  the 
woman's  slower  mind  to  wake  to  the  desire  for  old 
associations. 

But  though  the  peace  of  the  mountain  lay 
unbroken,  the  village  in  the  valley  seethed  with 
excitement  The  powerful  young  chief  who  had 
won  the  favor  of  the  whole  clan  had  mysteriously 
disappeared;  and  Kawelu,  his  promised  wife,  lay 
on  her  couch  of  mats  with  her  face  to  the  wall. 

When,  at  last,  Hiku  persuaded  his  mother  to 
return  with  him  to  the  valley,  they  found  the  vil- 
lage a  place  of  sorrow.  Kawelu  lay  dead  in  the 

57 


The  Magic  Arrow 


house  of  the  chief,  and  the  mourners  wailed  un- 
ceasingly. Hiku  threw  himself  beside  the  couch  in 
the  darkened  room,  and  called  upon  the  spirit  of 
his  beloved  to  return  to  him.  No  flutter  of  life 
moved  the  still  heart;  and  sobbing  he  went  out 
into  the  fields.  Fitting  the  magic  arrow  to  his 
bow,  he  cried: 

"Go,  shaft  of  the  gods,  and  search  out  the 
place  where  hides  the  spirit  of  Kawelu." 

Wide  and  long  was  the  arc  of  its  flight  Hiku 
followed  and  saw  it  fall  into  a  thicket  where  the 
rocks  jut  out  into  the  sea  at  the  foot  of  the  great 
mountain.  Beating  the  brush  aside  he  found  a 
cavern  so  deep  and  dark  that  eyes  could  not  fathom 
its  depth.  Without  returning  to  the  village,  he 
went  away  into  the  mountains.  For  three  days  he 
gathered  vines,  and  wove  them  into  a  rope,  long 
and  strong,  at  the  end  of  which  he  fastened  a  stout 
cross-bar  of  wood.  He  cut  a  cocoanut  in  halves, 
and  taking  out  the  meat,  fitted  the  pieces  together 
so  that  not  even  the  smallest  crack  could  be  seen. 
Then,  gaunt  with  sleeplessness,  his  eyes  burning, 
he  returned  to  the  house  of  the  chief. 

"Brothers  of  Kawelu,"  he  said,  "your  sister  is 
not  dead.  Weakened  by  grief  her  body  held  not 
strongly  to  the  soul,  and  Milu,  the  evil  one, 
snatched  it  away.  Upon  you  I  call  for  the  strength 
of  your  stout  arms  to  help  rescue  it  from  the  deep 
caverns  of  the  earth  whither  the  fiend  carried  it 

"How  know  you  that  this  is  so?"  asked  one 
of  the  brothers. 

58 


The  Magic  Arrow 


"My  death  be  upon  my  own  head/'  he  an- 
swered, "if  I  restore  her  not." 

At  the  mouth  of  the  cave  Hiku  took  his  bow 
and  arrow  and  the  cocoanut  shell,  and  stepping  to 
the  cross-bar  of  the  swing,  told  the  four  brothers 
to  lower  him  into  the  pit 

Swinging  dizzily  like  a  spider  at  the  end  of  a 
web,  he  slipped  down,  down,  till  the  light  gleamed 
like  a  star  above  him;  down,  down,  deeper  and 
deeper  still  in  the  fearful  blackness.  The  air  grew 
foul  and  dank,  evil  sounds  hissed  from  the  crevices 
of  the  rocky  walls,  and  vile  odors  choked  him. 
Away  below  a  faint  spark  appeared — a  light  that 
grew  into  a  glow,  then  into  a  radiance;  and  he 
found  himself  in  a  vast  cavern,  the  cavern  of  Milu, 
the  evil  god  of  the  underworld. 

On  the  throne  sat  the  demon,  while  about  him 
were  gathered  the  souls  he  had  stolen ;  with  them, 
her  face  hidden  in  her  hands,  crouched  the  spirit 
of  Kawelu.  As  Hiku  swung  above  her  he  called ; 
she  looked  up,  and  then  sprang  to  his  arms.  Milu 
shouted,  and  a  tumult  of  echoes  rolled  under  the 
vaulted  roof;  he  commanded  the  spirit  to  leave  her 
lover,  and  at  once  Hiku's  arms  were  empty,  but 
above  his  head  hovered  a  beautiful  white  butterfly, 
which  he  caged  in  the  cocoanut  shell. 

When  the  fiend  saw  that  Hiku  held  the  spirit 
a  prisoner,  he  caught  up  a  lightning  dart,  but 
swifter  still,  the  magic  arrow  sprang  from  the  bow 
and  buried  itself  in  the  heart  of  the  monster. 
Through  the  son  of  Hina  the  gods  had  rid  the 

59 


The  Magic  Arrow 


world  of  a  dreadful  evil  Hiku  hastened  back  to 
the  house  of  the  chief,  and  when  he  opened  the 
shell  the  rescued  spirit  entered  again  into  the  body 
of  Kawelu,  and  she  arose  and  greeted  her  lover 
and  his  mother  as  though  she  had  but  waked  from 
a  deep,  restful  sleep. 


60 


The  Island  of  Demons 


UST  how  Lanai  came  to  be  the 
abode  of  the  demons  no  one  knows 
nowadays,  though  every  little 
naked  brown  child  on  the  island 
can  tell  the  story  of  Kau-lu-laau, 
son  of  an  ancient  king  of  Mauai; 
and  how  he  drove  the  evil  spirits 
into  the  sea,  and  freed  the  people 
from  their  thrall. 

It  all  happened  in  the  time 
when  Mauai  had  two  kings,  for  one  was  foolish 
and  unfit  to  rule,  though  still  the  rightful  sovereign. 
They  held  their  court  at  Lele,  on  the  shore  that 
looks  toward  the  setting  sun ;  and  they  reigned  in 
peace  unbroken,  except  by  the  wild  pranks  of  the 
son  of  the  wise  king.  Though  from  the  royal 
father  himself  to  the  tiniest  child  playing  in  the 
sand  on  the  seashore,  the  people  loved  the  reckless 
youth  who  was  as  beautiful  as  a  young  god,  whose 
eyes  were  like  the  dancing  waves  of  the  wind- 
swept sea,  whose  laugh  brought  an  answering 
smile  to  the  sternest  face,  who,  though  lawless, 
was  brave  and  true. 

But  one  morning  the  court  of  Lele  was 
plunged  in  gloom.  From  palace  and  hamlet  rose 
the  high  treble  of  the  petition  to  the  gods ;  the  old 
chiefs  sat  in  the  council  chamber  in  moody  con- 
ference ;  the  young  men  came  forth  with  the  right 
half  of  their  heads  shaven  in  token  of  bereave- 
ment; the  maids  stealthily  wiped  the  tears  from 
their  heavy  lashes.  Crushed  with  shame  the  high 

61 


The  Island  of  Demons 


priest  stood  before  his  desecrated  altar;  and  the 
wise  king  sat  in  the  darkened  palace  and  mourned 
as  for  the  dead.  In  all  the  realm  of  the  two  sov- 
ereigns the  foolish  king  was  the  only  being  who 
smiled  that  day,  for  Laau,  prince  of  Mauai,  was  to 
be  banished  to  Lanai,  the  most  fearsome  of  all  the 
eight  islands,  where  swarmed  the  demons  of  evil. 

For  the  prince,  in  a  reckless  freak  of  daring, 
had  stolen  into  the  temple  in  the  night,  and  had 
painted,  with  the  hues  of  the  rainbow,  the  pure 
white  birds  that  awaited  the  sacrificial  rites  for  the 
welfare  of  the  mad  king.  It  was  an  offense  against 
the  gods  and  the  sacred  person  of  the  real  sover- 
eign. Swift  and  terrible  fell  the  punishment;  but 
the  royal  father  had  laid  his  head  in  the  dust  of 
grief  when  he  pronounced  the  doom  of  his  son. 

And  Laau,  proudly  alone  in  his  disgrace, 
gathered  together  the  spears  and  javelins  he  had 
won  in  the  jousts,  and  strode  down  to  the  beach 
where  his  canoe  lay  drawn  up  on  the  sand.  But 
on  the  shore  beside  the  boat  stood  a  young  chief, 
the  son  of  the  chief  of  the  king's  council.  Since 
the  day  when  they  had  first  strayed  away  together 
on  their  own  tottering  feet,  each  had  been  as  the 
other's  shadow,  and  in  the  close  bond  of  their  love 
both  were  prince,  or  both  were  chief. 

"It  is  foolish  of  you,  Kamaka,  to  draw  suspi- 
cious eyes  on  yourself  this  way,"  said  Laau,  his 
voice  choking  in  his  throat  xou  know  that  the 
command  of  the  king  is  that  no  one  shall  speak 
to  the  outcast." 


62 


The  Island  of  Demons 


But  two  outcasts  may  speak  to  each  other. 
Think  you  that  I  would  let  my  brother  bear  the 
disgrace  alone  for  what  we  did  together?"  Kama- 
ka  drew  up  his  slender,  brown  shoulders  proudly. 
"You  forget  that  I,  too,  am  of  the  royal  line."  And 
through  the  mist  of  unshed  tears  each  lad  looked 
into  the  heart  of  the  other. 

Then  they  bent  their  backs  to  the  canoe,  and 
sent  it  spinning  out  into  the  surf.  They  sprang  in 
and  the  two  paddles  dipped  deep  in  the  water,  but 
before  they  leaned  to  the  stroke  the  high  priest 
strode  down  into  the  sea.  Laau  dropped  his  pad- 
dle, and  stretched  out  his  hands  entreatingly  to  the 
old  man. 

'Your  pardon,  Father  Waolani,"  he  sobbed, 
"give  me  your  pardon." 

'That  you  have,  my  prince.  It  is  with  the 
voice  of  the  gods  I  speak,  and  therefore  the  king 
cannot  be  angry.  Against  the  demons  of  Lanai 
you  have  no  weapon ;  javelins  injure  them  not,  but 
I  have  brought  you  the  sacred  spear-head  of  Lono. 
Now,  swear  by  the  gods— by  the  great  Kane — 
that  when  you  return  to  Mauai,  as  you  will  some 
day,  for  the  oracles  foretell  it,  swear  that  you  will 
bury  the  spear-head  with  my  bones,  and  that  no 
one  shall  know  its  hiding-place." 

High  above  his  head  the  prince  lifted  his  hands 
with  palms  open  to  the  setting  sun.  "By  the  gods 
whom  I  have  offended,  I  swear  to  return  their  gift 
in  honor  retrieved!"  Then  turning  toward  the 
dark  island  rising  beyond  the  wind-swept  channel, 

63 


The  Island  of  Demons 


his  voice  rang  across  tlje  water  like  the  call  of  the 
trumpet-shell  of  Kiha.  "Fiends  of  Lanai,  listen! 
I,  Kaululaau,  son  of  Kakaalaneo,  swear  by  the 
spear-head  of  Lono  that  I  will  bind  you  and  cast 
you  into  the  sea,  and  will  give  your  island  as  a 
peace-offering  to  the  gods."  Waolani  stepped  back, 
the  lads  bent  to  the  paddles  again,  and  the  canoe 
shot  away  from  the  shore. 

Across  the  dark  water  the  swift-rolling  clouds 
chased  the  sunshine,  and  the  sea  broke  in  white 
anger  on  the  reef.  The  wind  sprung  up  and 
whipped  the  waves  to  flying  spray,  and  the  ocean 
heaved  like  the  bed-covering  of  a  restless  giant 
All  night  the  frail  canoe  tossed  on  the  stormy  sea; 
now  and  then  the  dark  shores  of  Lanai  showed 
through  the  scud  of  stinging  mist,  only  to  vanish 
again  like  a  wraith  as  the  canoe  spun  around  in 
the  clutch  of  the  racing  waves.  Unseen  hands 
lifted  the  outrigger,  and  the  canoe  dipped  to  the 
water;  but  no  splash  of  wave  or  fleck  of  dashing 
spray  wet  the  spot  where  lay  the  talisman  of  the 
gods. 

In  the  morning  the  misty  outline  of  Lanai  lay 
on  the  rim  of  the  sea,  leagues  to  the  east,  and  they 
saw  that,  in  the  darkness,  the  wind  had  blown 
them  past  the  island  and  out  to  sea.  All  day 
they  beat  into  the  face  of  the  storm,  but,  when 
night  came  on  again,  the  shadow  of  the  land 
seemed  as  far  off  as  at  the  beginning  of  the  day. 
Another  long  night  of  sleepless  watching,  of  thirst 
and  hunger,  and  of  deadly  weariness  passed;  then 

64 


The  Island  of  Demons 


suddenly  out  of  the  fading  darkness  loomed  the 
island,  crouching  over  them  like  a  black  and 
dreadful  phantom. 

With  a  last  desperate  effort  they  sent  the 
canoe  through  the  breakers,  up  the  beach,  and 
threw  themselves  on  the  sand,  and  slept.  They 
slept  through  the  half-light  of  the  dawn,  through 
the  rosy  glow  of  the  rising  sun,  into  the  broad,  full 
light  of  day.  In  his  dreams  the  exiled  prince  stood 
again  in  the  house  of  his  father,  and  his  disgrace 
weighed  heavily  on  his  heart  He  heard  the 
hushed  movements  of  the  frightened  household; 
now  a  wail,  now  a  prayer  floated  vaguely  through 
his  sleeping  fancy;  then  a  confusion  of  sounds. 
At  last  a  long,  shrill  cry  snapped  the  thread 
between  dream  and  reality,  and  he  sprang  to  his 
feet. 

Beyond  the  line  of  sandy  beach  lay  a  cluster 
of  huts,  and  from  end  to  end  of  the  little  village 
there  surged  a  wave  of  lamentation  that  broke  and 
rose  again  and  again.  About  the  huts  the  tilled 
fields  were  laid  waste;  banana  trees  were  broken 
below  the  blossom,  the  gardens  uprooted,  the  dykes 
of  the  taro  patches  plowed  through;  and  before 
the  dreadful  calamity  the  people  stood  bewildered 
and  helpless.  They  were  poor  and  ignorant,  with 
wild,  hungry  eyes  set  deep  in  gaunt  faces;  clothed 
in  tatters  of  tapa;  too  wretched  even  to  wonder 
how  the  strangers  came  among  them ;  and  between 
their  broken  cries  they  told  the  tale  of  their  suffer- 
ings. 

65 


The  Island  of  Demons 


"Always  it  is  like  this,"  they  said  We  plant 
and  till,  half-starved,  waiting  for  the  harvest;  and 
when  it  is  almost  ready,  when  the  crops  are  green 
on  the  hillsides,  and  the  taro  leaves  are  grown 
broad  and  dark,  then  the  gnomes  come  down  from 
the  mountains  and  ravage  the  fields.  We  are 
hungry ;  our  women  are  too  weak  to  gather  sea- 
weed, even  from  the  shallow  water,  and  our  chil- 
dren bend  in  the  middle  for  want  of  a  full  stomach 
to  support  their  backs." 

Here  an  old  fisherman  took  up  the  story. 
"The  evil  spirits  break  down  the  walls  of  our  fish- 
ponds, and  let  the  fish  out  into  the  sea  where  we 
cannot  catch  them,  for  they  have  wrecked  all  our 
canoes  on  the  rocks."  And  he,  too,  broke  into  a 
wail  that  was  carried  along  the  shore  and  up  the 
valleys,  from  throat  to  throat,  till  it  rolled  over  the 
whole  island  in  waves  of  woe. 

'The  gods  have  forgotten  the  people  of  Lanai! " 
they  cried. 

uThen,"  said  Laau,  "we  will  wake  the  gods 
with  our  prayers." 

Close  to  the  mark  of  the  high  tide  the  young 
men  built  a  hut  with  the  leaves  of  the  cocoa  palm, 
and  thatched  it  with  grass  from  the  hills;  and  they 
fished  and  gathered  seaweed  like  the  poor  among 
whom  they  lived.  Day  by  day  they  labored  with 
their  hands  for  the  food  they  ate,  and  the  hardy 
life  of  the  Kanaka  taught  them  many  things  that 
were  never  learned  about  a  court.  Laau  hid  the 
sacred  spear-head  in  a  dark  corner  of  the  hut,  and 

66 


The  Island  of  Demons 


no  one  knew  him  for  the  son  of  a  king,  though  the 
people  looked  into  his  brave  young  face  and  took 
heart  again. 

He  encouraged  the  men  to  level  the  terraces 
and  to  rebuild  the  banks  of  the  taro  patches. 
When  it  was  all  done  he  drew  a  deep  mark  in  the 
earth  with  the  spear-head  of  Lono,  and  the  line 
was  as  a  wall  of  rock,  protecting  the  whole  of  the 
garden  and  the  village  down  to  the  sea,  for  its 
magic  power  reached  from  the  sky  to  the  lowest 
depths  of  the  earth.  On  the  beach  he  set  men  to 
hewing  canoes,  others  to  rebuilding  the  broken 
walls  of  the  fish-ponds ;  the  children  played  una- 
fraid among  the  shells  on  the  shore,  while  laughter 
and  the  music  of  the  hula  were  heard  again  on 
Lanai. 

But  one  night  a  dreadful  demon  found  a  place 
where  a  dog  had  dragged  himself  across  the  mark 
of  the  spear-head,  and  made  an  opening  in  the  line. 
The  fiend  burrowed  into  the  earth,  and  worked  its 
way  under  a  hut  where  a  family  were  sleeping, 
and  when  the  monster  rose  from  the  ground,  it 
was  as  though  the  earth  quaked;  the  children 
were  hurled  from  their  mats,  the  house  was  ripped 
from  sill  to  roof- tree;  and  their  cries  of  distress 
roused  the  village.  As  Laau  ran  he  bound  the 
spear-head  to  his  javelin,  and  when  he  hurled  it  at 
the  fiend,  the  sacred  point  found  its  way  to  the 
wicked  heart  Its  dying  cry  echoed  among  the 
hills  till  it  woke  all  the  gnomes  on  the  island,  and 
they  flocked  to  its  rescue,  the  shrill  clamor  of  their 

67 


The  Island  of  Demons 


threats  filling  the  air  with  a  deafening  noise.  They 
hurled  themselves  against  the  magic  wall,  only  to 
fall  back  shrieking  with  baffled  fury. 

Then  Laau  saw  that  the  time  of  the  great 
struggle  had  come.  His  heart  quaked,  but  he 
grasped  his  javelin,  and  went  out  of  the  village 
alone,  into  the  raging  mob  of  demons.  As  he 
crossed  the  mark  of  the  spear-head  the  fiends 
rushed  upon  him.  They  caught  at  his  hands,  they 
hung  about  his  neck,  and  clutched  at  his  feet;  but 
he  shook  himself  free.  He  swung  his  javelin  about 
him,  and  the  gnomes  stood  back  snarling  with 
rage.  He  cut  a  groove  in  the  earth  about  his  feet, 
and  they  tore  with  their  long  claws  at  the  rocks 
and  soil  outside  the  circle;  they  blew  their  vile 
breath  in  his  face,  but  it  eddied  in  coils  of  poison- 
ous vapor  around  the  magic  ring. 

Back  he  beat  them  to  the  hills,  pace  by  pace, 
line  beyond  line;  suns  rose  and  set,  and  the  nights 
were  filled  with  desperate  struggle.  He  drove 
them  over  the  crest  of  mountains,  herding  them 
closer  and  closer  together,  down  the  slope  on  the 
other  side  of  the  island,  till,  caught  at  last  between 
the  vengeance  of  the  gods  and  the  sea,  they 
plunged  into  the  waves,  and  the  island  of  Lanai 
knew  them  no  more. 

Then  the  bare,  rocky  land  slowly  drew  a 
cover  of  green  over  its  gaunt  ribs.  Flowers 
bloomed  on  the  hillsides,  gardens  and  taro  patches 
flourished,  and  bananas  and  cocoanuts  grew  heavy 
on  the  unbroken  trees. 

68 


The  Island  of  Demons 


Then  the  king  sent  a  pardon  to  his  son,  and 
made  him  chief  of  the  island.  When  the  old  priest 
died  Laau  returned  to  Maui  to  fulfil  his  promise ; 
and  since  that  day  the  sacred  spear-head  of  Lono 
has  never  been  seen  by  mortal  eyes,  nor  has  a 
single  demon  been  caught  on  Lanai 


69 


The  Maid  of  the  Twilight 


MONG  the  people  of  old,  there 
were  weird  stories  of  a  secret  cav- 
ern, the  only  entrance  to  which 
was  under  the  black  water  of  the 
mysterious  pool  whose  surface  lies 
three  fathoms  below  the  level  of 
the  Koolau  plain.  Some  said  it 
was  a  favorite  retreat  of  the  lizard- 
god;  some  thought  that  a  magi- 
cian of  great  power — an  evil  one- 
lived  in  the  cave,  and  slipped  in  and  out  of  his 
abode  in  the  form  of  a  green  lizard,  or  changed  to 
an  eel,  and  took  an  underground  passage  to  the  coral 
bed  of  the  deep  sea.  And  because  of  these  fear- 
some tales,  the  simple  folk  of  the  hills  traveled  the 
long  beach  path  when  the  sun  had  drawn  the 
light  of  the  world  into  the  ocean;  or  climbed  the 
rougher  way  that  skirted  the  foot  of  the  mountains 
rather  than  pass  the  dread  spot  after  the  shadows 
of  the  cliffs  had  fallen  on  the  plain. 

Old  Mele,  of  four-score  years  and  ten,  who 
sits  all  day  long  in  the  shade  of  a  tiny  cabin  on 
the  Koolau  coast,  croons  an  ancient  song  of  the 
pool  that  she  says  is  true.  And  this  is  the  tale: 

Once  upon  a  time,  when  the  doors  between 
the  spirit-land  and  the  mortal  were  left  unguarded 
and  gods  and  demons  alike  overran  the  earth,  the 
chief  who  ruled  over  all  Koolau  had  two  daughters, 
who  were  as  unlike  as  the  stormy  night  is  differ- 
ent from  the  beautiful,  radiant  evening.  Therefore 
the  maids  were  called  Pouli  and  Liu-la,  for  Pouli 

70 


The  Maid  of  the  Twilight 


was  dark-browed  and  frowning,  and  Liu-la's  laugh- 
ing face  was  as  softly  tinted  as  the  twilight  sky. 

One  day  when  the  plain  shimmered  in  the 
warm  sunshine,  and  the  sea  surged  with  slow 
rhythm  on  the  low-lying  shore,  the  two  sisters 
called  the  women  of  the  household,  and  went 
down  to  the  beach  to  bathe.  Pouli  threw  herself 
on  the  warm  sand  out  of 'reach  of  the  waves,  but 
Liu-la  plunged  into  the  rolling  surf,  and  swam 
fearlessly  out  into  deep  water.  Supple  and  strong, 
her  slender  brown  body  slipped  through  the  blue 
water  as  gracefully  as  the  darting  fish,  and  out- 
stripped even  the  strongest  of  the  swimmers  fol- 
lowing her.  Beyond  the  reef  she  turned  and  looked 
back  at  them,  laughing  and  shaking  the  salt  spray 
from  her  face  — the  fairest  face  on  all  the  island  of 
Oahu.  Still  laughing  she  called  to  her  sister;  but 
even  while  she  called,  a  wild  terror  leaped  up  in 
her  beautiful  eyes,  and  within  sight  of  all  the 
women  she  sank  under  the  waves. 

Then  Pouli,  still  sitting  on  the  sand,  covered 
her  face  with  her  hands  to  hide  her  joy,  for  to  this 
end  she  had  secretly  plotted  with  the  evil  one  of 
the  pool. 

In  all  the  grief  and  lamentation  Pouli' s  voice 
was  the  loudest;  her  tears  fell  like  rain  from  the 
winter  skies.  But,  by  and  by,  the  time  of  mourn- 
ing passed,  and  Liu-la  became  a  memory  as  beau- 
tiful as  the  twilight  for  which  she  was  named. 

Many  moons  had  gone  when  Wohi,  son  of 
the  great  chief,  returned  from  the  war  with  new 

71 


The  Maid  of  the  Twilight 


honors  bestowed  by  the  king,  and  with  a  fleet  of 
canoes  captured  from  the  foe;  and  all  Koolau,  from 
Kahuku  to  Makapu,  and  from  the  mountains  to 
the  sea,  resounded  with  the  chants  of  welcome. 

Twilight  falls  early  on  the  Koolau  plain,  for 
the  towering  wall  of  the  mountain  range  catches 
the  sun  high  in  the  heavens,  and  flings  the  shad- 
ows of  the  frowning  rocks  far  out  on  the  sea  In 
the  grove  of  palms  before  the  wide,  cool  house  of 
the  chief  the  shadows  of  the  waning  day  were 
falling  when,  at  the  end  of  the  feast,  the  old  men 
gathered  about  the  warrior  to  hear  his  tales  of  ad- 
venture. Later,  in  the  deepening  dusk,  the  young 
girls  came  and  danced  before  them,  and  the  sound 
of  the  rattling  gourd  and  the  twang  of  the  ukeke 
echoed  through  the  deep  ravines. 

But  at  the  very  height  of  the  revel  Wohi 
looked  up  and  saw,  back  in  the  shadows  of  the 
grove,  the  shrinking  figure  of  his  lost  sister.  Her 
beautiful  eyes  were  brimming  with  tears,  and  her 
brown  arms  stretched  out  imploringly  toward  him. 
Like  a  flash  of  light  that  moment  extinguished,  the 
vision  struck  across  his  sight  and  was  gone!  He 
sprang  to  his  feet  and  rushed  into  the  enshrouding 
shadows,  but  no  one  stirred  among  the  trees,  and 
beyond  the  grove  the  wide  reaches  of  the  plain  lay 
bare  and  open.  And  Wohi,  though  a  stately 
young  chief  and  a  brave  warrior,  leaned  his  folded 
arms  against  a  tree  with  his  head  bowed  upon 
them,  and  sobbed,  for  his  heart  was  sore  with 
grief. 

72 


The  Maid  of  the  Twilight 


When  he  returned  to  the  grove  the  people 
were  drifting  away  to  their  homes ;  laughter  echoed 
back  from  the  mountains,  and  the  tinkle  of  high- 
keyed  strings  blending  with  the  melody  of  the 
voices  came  fainter  and  fainter  through  the  starlit 
gloom. 

But  the  next  night  the  vision  came  again ;  and 
still  a  third  time.  Always  in  the  early  twilight  it 
flashed  across  his  sight,  and  vanished  His  mind 
was  troubled,  and  he  went  to  Pouli  and  begged 
her  to  tell  him  in  what  manner,  and  at  what  place, 
Liu-la  had  disappeared. 

44 For  why  should  a  maid,"  he  asked,  "who 
was  strong,  and  bred  to  the  sea  almost  as  the  dol- 
phins, sink  in  the  quiet  channel?"  Under  his 
searching  eyes  she  stammered  her  answer,  and  he 
pressed  his  questions  till  she  grew  angry  and  left 
him. 

That  morning  a  grizzled  old  warrior,  who  had 
followed  his  young  chief  in  desperate  charges  on 
dreadful  battle-fields,  who  had  fought  beside  him 
exultingly  against  fearful  numbers,  came  to  Wohi, 
his  rugged  face  ashen  with  fear. 

"My  chief,  I  have  seen  your  dead  sister;  not 
once,  but  three  times.  As  you  know,  my  house  is 
up  mountainwards,  and  my  doorway  looks  toward 
the  deep  water-hole.  Two  nights  following  I 
turned  my  eyes  suddenly,  and  in  the  twilight  I 
saw  a  woman  sitting  by  the  edge  of  the  pool;  but 
each  time  she  vanished,  like  the  flash  of  the  sun  on 
a  flying  spear."  His  voice  dropped  to  a  whisper, 

73 


The  Maid  of  the  Twilight 


and  his  knees  shook  under  him,  "  Yesterday  I 
returned  late  from  the  sea.  Therefore  I  took  the 
shortest  way  to  my  cabin,  and  as  I  walked  quickly 
along  with  my  eyes  on  the  ground  I  thought  not 
of  the  pool  till  I  was  almost  beside  it  Suddenly  I 
looked  up,  and  there  on  the  long,  flat  stone  that 
lies  by  the  brink  sat  Liu-la,  her  chin  sunk  on  her 
breast,  and  her  hands  clasped  in  despair.  In  that 
same  instant  she  was  not !  My  hair  stood  up  like 
the  spears  of  an  army  awaiting  the  rush  of  the  foe, 
but  I  had  great  love  for  the  little  maid,  and  I  went 
to  the  edge  and  looked  down  into  the  pool.  Not  a 
ripple  stirred  the  black  surface  of  the  water,  but 
as  I  turned  away  I  heard  plainly  the  sobs  of  a 
woman."  When  the  old  man  finished  his  tale  he 
shook  with  a  heavy  chill,  and  Wohi  threw  his 
tapa  over  his  shoulders. 

"See  that  you  speak  of  this  to  no  one,"  said 
the  young  chief.  "  If  my  sister  lives  I  will  find  her! " 

When  the  old  warrior  left  him,  Wohi  hurried 
away  to  the  pool,  his  eyes  searching  every  crease 
in  the  ground  along  the  way,  following  every 
shadow  of  the  flying  clouds.  Four  times  he  circled 
the  great  water-hole,  but  neither  the  rocky  wall  nor 
the  dark,  mysterious  depths  betrayed  its  secret. 

He  sat  down  on  the  flat  rock  where  the  old 
man  had  seen  Liu-la,  and  his  hands  dropped 
dejectedly  on  the  sun- warmed  stone.  Wide  and 
lonely  the  plain  lay  about  him,  not  even  a  blade  of 
grass  moved  in  the  breathless  air ;  no  sound  broke 
the  tense  stillness,  nothing  lived  but  himself  and  a 

74 


The  Maid  of  the  Twilight 


small  brown  lizard  half  hidden  in  a  crevice  of  the 
brown  rock. 

He  watched  it,  fascinated  by  the  steady  gaze 
of  the  bright  questioning  eyes.  Hesitatingly  the 
wee  brown  creature  advanced  a  tiny  foot,  then  an- 
other, and  the  sinuous  body  curved  gracefully;  but 
with  the  horror  of  his  race  for  creeping  things  he 
sprang  away  from  it.  The  lizard  lay  as  still  as 
the  stone  itself,  but  in  the  wonderful  eyes  he  saw 
the  tears  well  up  and  overflow.  Then  like  a  little 
brown  streak,  it  darted  across  the  rock  and  disap- 
peared, but  from  the  depths  of  the  pool  a  long 
quivering  sigh  broke  into  a  torrent  of  muffled  sobs. 

"Liu-la!"  cried  Wohi,  "Liu-la!"  The  name 
rolled  from  cliff  to  cliff  as  though  the  very  walls  of 
Koolau  called  the  lost  maid,  but  there  was  no  an- 
swer save  the  heart-breaking  sounds.  Then  he 
remembered  that  it  was  only  in  the  twilight  that 
she  had  been  seen,  and  he  strode  back  to  the  vil- 
lage. 

At  the  house  of  his  father  he  found  a  half- 
score  of  visiting  chiefs,  and  the  customs  of  hospi- 
tality were  rigid.  Long  they  sat  over  the  feast, 
and  the  light  of  day  faded  while  they  still  talked. 
But  Wohf  s  thoughts  were  with  Liu-la,  alone 
somewhere  in  the  dark,  and  frightened,  and  at  last 
he  stole  away  and  ran  to  the  pool. 

The  night  was  dark,  and  on  the  unmarked 
plain  he  came  upon  the  water-hole  suddenly.  As 
he  looked  up  he  caught  his  breath,  his  feet  clung 
to  the  ground  like  roots,  for  there  on  the  stone 

75 


The  Maid  of  the  Twilight 


crouched  Liu-la,  the  weight  of  her  woe  crushing 
her  graceful  head  to  her  breast,  as  the  south  rain 
beats  the  white  pua  kala  to  the  earth.  Even  then, 
as  though  he  had  closed  his  eyes  and  so  blotted 
out  the  vision,  she  was  gone.  He  sprang  to  the 
spot  where  she  had  been,  but  there  was  no  one— 
nothing  but  the  little  brown  lizard  almost  hidden 
by  the  darkness  as  it  glided  away;  but  softly  on 
the  night  air  broke  sobs  of  unspeakable  sadness. 
Wohi  returned  to  his  father's  house  and  called  his 
elder  sister  from  among  the  women. 

'What  is  this?"   he  demanded  fiercely. 

'What  evil  have  you  wrought  upon  our  sister? 

Why  does  her  spirit  linger,  weeping,   about  the 

black  water-hole  on  the  plain  when  her  body  sank 

in  the  sea?" 

The  girl's  black  brows  drew  together  in  an 
angry  frown.  "Ask  of  the  eels,"  she  taunted. 

But  the  young  chief  went  away  into  the  heart 
of  the  mountains,  up  the  big  valley  where  the 
water  leaps  from  the  ridge  just  under  the  sky  and 
breaks  into  a  wind-blown  veil  of  mist.  There 
under  a  rainbow  he  found  the  cabin  of  Waka,  the 
good  sorceress,  with  whom  he  talked  till  the  stars 
faded  from  the  morning  sky.  "Forget  not,"  she 
said  at  parting,  "if  your  eyes  rest  upon  her  but  for 
the  space  of  the  lightning's  flash,  before  she  is 
within  the  circle  of  ti  she  will  become  a  lizard 
again;  for  the  terms  of  the  bond  are  that  she  shall 
see  and  be  seen,  but  only  as  the  wraiths  that  men 
follow  and  never  possess." 

76 


"The  pool  looked  dark 

and  treacherous,  but  calling 

to  the  gods  to  help  him  he 

leaped  to  the  slimy 

bottom." 


The  Maid  of  the  Twilight 


While  the  shadows  still  lay  in  hiding  under 
the  rocks,  Wohi  went  again  to  the  water-hole, 
this  time  with  two  girdles  woven  of  the  leaves  of 
the  ti-plant  that  the  demons  fear.  The  sun  shone 
straight  down  on  the  surface  of  the  pool,  and  lit 
up  every  crevice  on  the  wall.  Even  in  the  blaze 
of  the  noonday  sun  the  pool  looked  dark  and 
treacherous ;  but  he  called  upon  the  gods  to  help 
him,  and  climbed  resolutely  down  till  his  feet 
touched  the  water.  A  cold  chill  struck  to  his 
bones,  and  his  heart  throbbed  in  his  throat,  but  he 
loosened  his  hold  on  the  rocks  and  dropped  to  the 
slimy  bottom.  Up  he  struck  for  the  surface  again, 
and  the  warm  sun  on  his  face  gave  him  courage. 
Again  and  again  he  dived,  groping  along  the  face 
of  the  slippery  stones,  and  at  last  his  wandering 
hands  felt  an  opening  in  the  jagged  wall. 

He  rose  to  the  air  and  breathed,  then  plunged 
swiftly  and  entered  the  passage.  On  his  hands 
and  knees  he  worked  his  way  through  a  tunnel 
full  of  water,  and  so  narrow  that  the  sharp  rocks 
cut  his  shoulders  and  back.  His  temples  throbbed, 
and  a  roar  like  that  of  an  angry  surf  thundered  in 
his  ears.  He  longed  to  gasp  —just  once,  his  chest 
seemed  splitting  —  when  suddenly  a  wind  like  the 
breath  of  the  gods  struck  across  his  face,  and  he 
crept  out  on  a  dry  floor  of  stone,  breathing  pain- 
fully. The  place  was  as  dark  as  the  cavern  of 
Pele  when  she  sleeps,  and  he  listened,  his  flesh 
creeping  with  a  chill  of  fear,  his  heart  pounding 
his  ribs. 

77 


The  Maid  of  the  Twilight 


"Liu-la!"  he  called  "Are  you  here?"  Only 
the  echoes  answered. 

"Liu-la!"  he  called  again.  "It  is  Wohi,  your 
brother.  Speak!" 

A  gasping,  incredulous  cry  greeted  him,  two 
trembling  hands  met  his  and  clung  desperately. 

'  You,  Wohi !     How  did  you  know  ?  " 

There  was  no  time  to  answer,  and  in  the 
dense  blackness  he  loosened  one  of  the  girdles 
from  his  waist  and  bound  it  about  her. 

"Come,"  he  said.  'We  will  go  home  now, 
little  sister  of  the  twilight" 

In  all  Koolau  no  one  slept  that  night.  The 
people  wept  for  joy  and  wailed  for  pure  happiness ; 
and  the  old  minstrels  sang  the  songs  of  the  great 
ancestors  of  Wohi  and  Liu-la  Then  some  one 
made  a  new  song  about  the  maid  of  the  twilight 
and  the  little  brown  lizard;  and  that  is  the  one  old 
Mele  sings  today  in  the  shade  of  the  tiny  cabin  on 
the  Koolau  coast 


78 


The  Culprit  Star 


NHURRIED,  the  great  sun 
crossed  the  azure  arch  of  the  sky, 
and  sank  into  the  sea,  and  soft, 
dusky  twilight  fell  over  the  earth. 
High  above  the  ocean,  and  glint- 
ing the  restless  waves,  a  radiant 
star  sprang  to  its  place  in  the  dark- 
ening blue,  and  looked  down  on 
the  humble  folk-life  of  the  island 
of  Hawaii.  Here  and  there  it 
darted  its  friendly  beams  into  the  deepening 
shadows;  it  peered  under  the  waving  palms;  it 
burnished  the  weather-beaten  thatch  of  a  house, 
and  gleamed  along  the  haft  of  an  idle  spear. 

More  wonderful  even  than  the  genii  of  the 
present  day,  who  look  through  solid  things  with 
their  strange  green  light,  it  sent  its  bright  rays  into 
the  blackest  heart,  and  into  the  deepest  mind.  It 
knew  all  the  hidden  bad,  and  the  undiscovered 
good ;  all  the  selfish,  and  all  the  generous  motives ; 
all  the  secret  sorrows,  and  the  concealed  joys.  And 
though  it  had  watched  the  world  for  ages  — had 
known  each  passing  generation  for  eons  of  time, 
it  found  infinite  variety,  and  it  quivered  with  in- 
finite comprehension.  It  laughed  in  the  face  of 
the  wee  babe  when  it  stretched  its  tiny,  brown 
hands  to  catch  the  bright  rays ;  it  looked  into  the 
tired  eyes  of  the  great  king  with  friendly  sympathy. 
One  night  when  the  wise  star  shone  down 
into  the  shadowy  greens  of  the  island  forest,  it 
flashed  across  the  face  of  a  stalwart  youth  swinging 

79 


The  Culprit  Star 


sturdily  up  the  mountain  path  from  the  village  by 
the  sea  It  knew  him  well,  and  knew  how  often 
he  traveled  the  mountain  path,  and  why.  He  was 
the  strongest,  fleetest  runner  in  the  king's  service. 
At  each  stroke  of  his  paddle  his  canoe  shot  a 
double  spear's  length  through  the  stormiest  water; 
the  flight  of  his  arrow  was  the  longest;  the  aim  of 
his  javelin  the  truest  of  all  the  young  warriors. 

And  each  night  the  star  smiled  into  a  shel- 
tered nook  by  the  sea,  and  took  account  of  the 
day's  work  on  a  tiny  house  building  under  the 
waving  lances  of  the  palms.  From  the  evening 
when  the  young  people  of  the  village  danced 
beside  the  freshly  hewn  timbers,  to  the  last  plait 
of  the  thatch,  the  star  watched  its  growth;  for  it  was 
in  the  twilight  that  the  king's  young  runner  had 
first  looked  into  the  laughing  eyes  of  the  mountain 
maid,  and  it  was  in  the  same  soft  radiance  between 
daylight  and  dark  that,  together,  they  chose  the 
quiet  little  cove  for  their  new  home.  And  at  last 
the  house  was  finished,  and  the  mats  and  tapas 
and  calabashes  were  ready  for  the  furnishing. 

The  young  man  looked  up  and  smiled  at  the 
star,  for  it  made  him  think  of  the  eyes  of  the  maid 
when  the  cloud  of  her  long,  thick  lashes  suddenly 
lifted,  and  fell  again.  At  the  thought  he  hurried 
his  swinging  strides  till  he  came  in  sight  of  a  fire 
over  which  bent  the  slender  figure  of  the  girl.  He 
stepped  eagerly  into  the  circle  of  light. 

"It  is  Pele  herself,"  he  said,  laughing,  as  he 
threw  down  his  gift  of  silvery  fish  fresh  from  the 

80 


i 


"  Half-strangled  with 

deadly  vapor,  panting  with 

fear,  they  ran,  a  sinuous 

stream  of  living  fire 

sweeping  after 

them." 


The  Culprit  Star 


sea  She  lifted  a  warning  hand  and  shook  her  head. 
"True,"  said  the  young  man  teasingly,  "I  am 
wrong.     Pele  was  never  so  beautiful." 

4 'Hush! "  said  the  girl  in  a  frightened  whisper. 
"One  must  not  speak  so  of  the  gods." 

4  What  matter/'  laughed  the  lad.  "Pele 
sleeps  sound  these  days." 

Up  in  the  great  cavern  on  the  top  of  the 
mountain  the  vigilant  star  saw  a  spark  of  fire,  and 
knew  that  the  goddess  was  awake,  and  angry. 
Suddenly  as  it  watched  from  the  peaceful  sky, 
there  came  from  the  rocks  a  sound  like  the 
crash  of  thunder.  A  column  of  smoke,  dark  and 
thick,  shot  out  from  the  place  where  dwelt  the 
goddess  of  fire,  and  as  it  rose,  it  rolled  over  the 
mountain,  and  shut  out  the  light  of  the  stars. 
Dense  and  choking  it  spread  from  rim  to  rim  of 
the  ocean,  and  under  it  was  unbroken  blackness. 

The  earth  heaved  as  in  a  throe  of  agony, 
great  rocks  broke  from  the  cliffs  and  crashed 
through  the  forest;  and  the  lad  and  the  girl  clung 
together  in  speechless  terror.  Then  with  a  roar 
the  side  of  the  mountain  split  open,  and  from  the 
gaping  rent  there  flowed  a  torrent  of  molten  lava 
that  lit  up  the  forest  like  the  noonday  sun.  It 
crisped  the  green  to  tinder,  it  charred  the  trees  to 
blackened  stumps,  and  turned  the  clouds  to  flam- 
ing swords. 

Half  strangled  with  deadly  vapor,  panting 
with  fear,  they  ran,  a  sinuous  stream  of  living  fire 
sweeping  after  them.  The  air  grew  black  again 

81 


The  Culprit  Star 


with  the  smoke  of  the  burning  trees  mingled  with 
the  sulphurous  fumes  of  Pele's  breath,  and  hot 
ashes  sifted  over  them.  Tripping,  stumbling,  they 
struggled  through  the  awful  chaos  till  they  felt  the 
cool  sands  of  the  seashore  under  their  feet 

"Now,  O  gods,  help  us!"  cried  the  boy  de- 
spairingly. "A  boat  is  here  I  know,  but  the  dark- 
ness hides  it  from  my  eyes!" 

Suddenly  a  rift  opened  in  the  thick  clouds, 
and  the  blazing  star  flung  a  ray  of  light  across  the 
water;  it  rimmed  the  black  waves  with  silver,  and 
lit  up  the  prow  of  a  canoe  rocking  on  the  ebb-tide. 
They  sprang  in  and  shoved  it  clear  of  the  sand  as 
the  seething  lava  flowed,  hissing,  into  the  sea 
Desperately  their  paddles  dipped  in  the  black 
water,  and  the  canoe  shot  away  from  the  treach- 
erous shore. 

When  the  sun  set  again  on  the  torn  and  des- 
olate island,  there  in  the  fathomless  blue  of  the 
darkening  sky  shone  the  star,  but  radiant  no 
longer,  for  it  had  lost  forever  its  brightest  ray. 
One  blazing  point  was  broken. 

It  had  thwarted  the  will  of  one  of  the  most 
powerful  gods,  and  its  doom  came  swiftly.  Struck 
from  the  heavens,  it  fell  spinning  dizzily  through 
the  cloudless  ether.  Faster  and  faster  grew  its 
pace,  shrinking,  whirling,  falling;  past  other  stars 
that  looked  coldly  on  at  its  degradation;  past  the 
pale  moon.  Away  in  the  distance  floated  the 
earth  growing  larger  and  nearer,  till  at  length  it 
seemed  to  reach  out  an  invisible  hand  and  snatch 


82 


The  Culprit  Star 


the  quivering  thing  to  the  cool,  moist  bosom  of 
the  ocean. 

Long  it  rocked  on  the  gentle  tides,  but  one 
day  a  rolling  wave  carried  it  high  up  on  a  lonely 
shore,  and  left  it  there  — a  living  star  no  longer, 
but  a  wee,  dark  thing  that  sank  into  the  warm 
sand  and  lay  still. 

How  long  it  lay  there  no  one  knows,  but 
from  the  place  where  the  culprit  star  had  hidden 
itself  from  the  sparkling  heavens,  there  grew  up  a 
dark  green  shrub,  that  spread  over  the  barren 
sands,  and  opened  to  the  smiling  sky  hundreds  of 
dainty,  white  blossoms.  But  every  one  of  the 
wee  star  flowers  had  lost  a  petaL 


S3 


Here  ends  The  Princess  ofManoa  <§r»  Other 
Tales  of  Old  Hawaii  by  Emily  Foster  Day. 
The  decorations  dr>  illustrations  by  D.  Howard 
Hitchcock.  The  typographical  arrangement 
designed  by  J.  H.  Nash.  Published  by  Paul 
Elder  and  Company,  and  printed  for  them  at 
The  Tomoye  Press,  New  York  City,  MCMVI. 


